Let’s Try This Again…
May 30
Well that worked out well, huh? Let me see if I can actually do this though. They might not be every day since work does get in the way sometimes, but we’ll see if we can’t keep it around seven posts a week.
I’ll make it something simple today too so it’s easy to start back in. Today’s band: Carbon Leaf.
How am I going to describe this one? Well, let me first tell you how I got into listening to them. Carbon Leaf is from the Richmond, VA area as am I so naturally, they’re local celebrities. Yippee. Growing up in middle & high school, it seemed like Dave Matthews Band was the local celebrity band since they were from Virginia, but towards the end of high school, into college, and currently, Carbon Leaf took that mantle & held onto it with most of the people that I know from the area. They played a benefit concert for our high school in my Junior or Senior year which is what started most of my friends on their descent into fandom, but it took me a lot longer. To be frank (although my name is Doug), I just never really listened to them until last year. For about five or six years, they were just that band that all my friends drooled over. How do I explain this? Well, have you ever had a friend tell you that a certain movie was great only to have the rest of your friends agree and all begin fawning over it? Then you see the movie, it sucks, and you silently judge your friends for being dumbasses for loving a horrible piece of cinema? Well, that’s the feeling I tried to avoid with Carbon Leaf.
Last year, however, when my fiance and I began to share music with each other, we went through the awkwardness of shoving our favorite band on the other. Mine, of course, was the Chili Peppers. Hers was Carbon Leaf. I think I won out as she likes RHCP more than I like Carbon Leaf, but she did get through to me slowly and eventually, I did come to think of them as a very good band that was spunky, unique, and definitely original. Some songs that are popular are still here and there for me (The Boxer), but most of their stuff I generally enjoy. They jokingly describe themselves as Brazilian Polk Metal, but in reality, they are both hard and easy to describe. The best way to put them would be to imagine a much more subdued Dropkick Murphy or Flogging Molly with more folk & pop influences, but obviously that isn’t even the best way to describe them. I am actually going to see them later tonight at a venue downtown as I think they’re starting a tour to promote their new album, Nothing Rhymes With Woman, which is actually a pretty good listen for the song “Another Man’s Woman.”
My pick from them does not come from that album, but rather the one before it, Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat. While the title track is one of those songs I just can’t seem to drool over as others, the ninth song (hidden near the end of the record like the favorite stuff you packed away & have to dig in the attic for) is without a doubt their best work. “The War Was In Color” depicts an elderly veteran telling his grandson about his time in the war (most likely one of the World Wars due to the running theme of no color in the photos versus the war being real). It is a very original song with an original topic which is what struck me at first, but the driving guitar parts, the chorus, and the way it builds to a very simple, but elegant climax is what keeps me listening to it over and over again. Even if you find out you don’t like the band or already don’t like them, I cannot fathom how you can not come to appreciate the impressive song-writing that went into this song. Check it out for sure.
On a side-note, I will be updating the look of the blog to include a lot more thing. It will include my What I’m Listening To Now playlist thanks to Last.fm, tools to help you find new music, tools to help you get said music, and much more. Basically, this site will not only introduce you to new songs, but also show you how to go out and find your own. I’m going to put some work into this on Sunday so look out!
Title: The War Was In Color
Artist: Carbon Leaf
Album: Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat
Year: 2006
To download, right-click here and select “Save Target As.”
Or watch this:
Loading ...
{Comments}