Carbon Leaf Countdown #9: Home
Feb 13
#10 took us to the places we know like Virginia, but #9 is taking us all straight to where we belong: “Home.”
If you’ve never been privileged enough to hear this song live, Carbon Leaf normally kicks it off with an a cappella version of “Sloop John B” by The Beach Boys before transitioning after stating “I feel so broke up, I wanna go home.” There’s no other way to play it live and they’ve been doing it that way since I saw them live for the first time in 2002. Off their 1999 album Ether-Electrified Porch Music, it’s one of the few pre-00s songs from Carbon Leaf to still consistently be played to this day. Hence why the song ended up at number nine here. I’m a little surprised it got that high, but whether in concert or on your shuffled playlist, the song is a highlight and one to just dance carelessly away as it kicks in to high-gear.
“Home. Whittle away, whittle away!” Who among us doesn’t know exactly how to sing that line? If you don’t, just stop reading and check out the video below. You’re in for a good surprise and you’ll quickly know what we all mean when we shout, “It’s almost time!” The song is just a folk explosion of musical joy. From the slow beginnings with a basic riff, you know you’ve got a jam on your hand here, but the vocal melody sets the pace almost as much as the instruments towards the end really making it a fun jam for all. It’s not just the one you enjoy the instruments too – it’s the one you know all the words too! Ether-Electrified Porch Music may be a mixed bag to some, but there is no doubting the pure quality of our number nine here. “Whittle away, whittle away!”
Song: Home
Album: Ether-Electrified Porch Music
Year: 1999
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Feb 29, 2012 @ 00:07:24
At it’s heart it’s a sea chanty redolant of oars, sails, and oakum. Another mining of deep folk roots. At the finish though its clear that this particular sea chanty is being sung by either a solar sailor tacking against sunbeams or someone sailing the seas of their own inner conciousness in a craft of their own devising. Take your pick. I grew up close to the sea in New England so this one earns a special place with me.