Balarama Music

Carbon Leaf Countdown #41: Seed

Jan 20

Doug2000s carbon leaf 1 Comment

Also from 2009′s Nothing Rhymes With Woman is a fun ditty with that trademarked Carbon Leaf sound. At #41, it’s “Seed!”

Yes, this is the sound that Carbon Leaf is known for. Folksy, country-tinged, Americana; however you want to describe it, all it’s missing is a pennywhistle and it’s an Echo Echo song. I’m not going to be the guy who goes on and on about how Carbon Leaf in 2012 no longer sounds like Carbon Leaf in 2001. How in the world is that a bad thing? People complain about radio bands sounding the same from record to record so why would we want them to stay the same? Sure, you might say they’ve gone drastically away from their sound and you might have a point, but look at the greatest bands in history: did they stick to one sound? The Beatles got away from bubblegum pop & The Clash dabbled in practically every genre possible. Heck, Led Zeppelin I & II sounded nothing III & IV . That’s not a bad thing people! People grow, people evolve; you don’t like the same things you did 10 years ago. Sure, you still like it, but do you spend nearly as much time on it as you did? Plus, wouldn’t you Carbon Leaf to try new things? We would have never gotten a song like “X-Ray” without them changing and that’s a wonderful song. We never would have gotten Echo Echo if they never changed and that is the sound most long for. Say you like one sound more than other – that’s fine, but lamenting that your band abandoned a style is ridiculous.

Sorry for the rant. “Seed” is just a fun song all the way through. Fun intro, interesting middle eight, and the ending delivers pretty strong. The best part, and I do mean the best part, about this song is the hidden references or Easter eggs for us to find. About 3:30, the song slows the pace down and continues the song’s pace along…while borrowing bits from “November (makebelieve)” and “Follow The Lady.” First time I heard the song I had to pause it, rewind, and play it again because I really thought my mind was playing a trick on me for “November (makebelieve)” portion. There are probably more in the song, but those two are enough for me to geek out over. Just another reason to love Carbon Leaf I guess!

Song: Seed
Album: Nothing Rhymes With Woman
Year: 2009