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The boys from Vancouver and self proclaimed Farmcore rockers are back with ten more tracks to cultivate our minds.
Carpenter is a must see live band that destroys the venue they’re playing at with high kicks and classic rockin’ punk tunes. They are also one of those bands that can pull off that live sound on a recorded album bringing the energy to your living room or car or wherever you happen to be listening to them. Carpenter’s latest album, “Sea to Sky”, stays true to their previous release, “Law of the Land”, and delivers the same promise one would expect from the Carpenter name; the crop just turned out to be a little bit better this year.
From the first second of the opening track there is no doubt that you’re listening to a Carpenter album. Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Ryan Sioui takes a deep breath and belts out the words “and you don’t have to say those mean things” before the guitar joins in. Right away it’s that vocal guitar sing-a-long that throws you right into the mood of the disc. After a listen or two you’ll be shouting the lyrics like you’re standing in front of the band as they perform.
The next track “Common Law” doesn’t let up, has one of the catchiest chorus’ and of course is another great sing-a-long. They even added some amazing female vocals from Debra Jean Creelman that has great chemistry with Sioui’s vocals.
The track “Just Another Friday Night” is the most country sounding song that Carpenter has written to date with a full-fledged lap steel guitar solo. This isn’t the country that your parents forced you to listen to when you were young though. This country has an edge. Hence the genre name Farmcore.
The only difference in the sound on this album compared to their last is the way Sioui’s voice sounds. On “Sea to Sky” it has a more polished clean sound compared to the raspy vocals on “Law of the Land.” This doesn’t mean the music is mellower or they’ve gone pop. In fact, they prove the opposite with the song “Separate.” It’s a pretty fast song and stands out as the most punk rock song on the album. The song “Joan” is a pretty mellow song though for you to get your slow rock on. The balance of these songs and the album as a whole is what keeps it from being boring. It rocks hard but still has a soft edge at times. That’s just what Carpenter brings to the table and I wouldn’t expect anything less from them, as a live band or in a recorded format.
This is one CD that won’t make you tap your feet. Nope. There’s way too much energy flowing through it and simply tapping your feet wouldn’t suffice. Do some stretches before you listen to “Sea to Sky” because you will be doing plenty of head bangs, high kicks and air guitar licks.