Comprised of singer, guitarist and namesake Erland Cooper, guitarist Simon Tong (The Verve) and David Nock
(Paul McCartney’s The Fireman) on drums/percussion/keys and production, Erland and the Carnival are the latest buzz band to emerge from the London underbelly. And now the trio, who met at Tong’s What the Folk club night on
Portobello Rd (London), have finally given audiences their outstanding debut album, Erland and the Carnival.
While their music is of folk inspiration from the first note, ultimately their style comes across as something
wholly unique. The listener is bombarded by a wide assortment of
musical sources – with their lyrical inspiration just as varied. The
words of Leonard Cohen take shape (beautifully) in “Disturbed This
Morning”, while the words of William Blake are thrown on their head in
“The Echoing Green”. “Everything Came Too Easy”, meanwhile, is comprised of
lyrics based on a speech by Charles van Doren. And while such themes are as different as
you can imagine, the Carnival’s infectious
folk melodies hold the album together in a rather impressive feat.
Indeed, it’s the arrangements that make this album such a treat. No
better will you find an example of this than in the opening track “Love
is a Killing Thing”, one of the most perfect album openers I’ve heard
in many years. Starting off with silence, the song builds and builds
until you feel like your heart is going to explode in pure delight.
Where too often you’re ready to skip through an album on first listen ,
“Love…” gets you hooked from the get go, leaving you without any desire to rush the
experience. I come writing this review having listened to the album in
full thrice in a row. I can’t say this happens very often (by choice).
Moving further through the album, “You Don’t Have To Be Lonely” and “One Morning Fair” feel like the
trio spent time with Australia’s Cloud Control, took them
to a carnival, and then joined hands and guitars to saw what would
come of it. These catchy numbers are yet another example of the folk
sound being thrown into Erland’s unique world – his carnival. Meanwhile,
the lyrical splendour of “The Sweeter The Girl The Harder I Fall” seems
to speak a little TOO close to my heart, while they channel the The
Kinks through and through, to excellent effect.
The version of the album I reviewed also contained two bonus tracks,
“Arabian Sea” and “Honey Killer” – two songs too good not to have on
the album, but definitely fitting outside the flow of the primary 13
tracks. Nonetheless, if it weren’t for the album opener and “The Derby
Ram” – a bizarre melodic adventure – I’d probably rate “Honey Track” as my
favourite song on the album.
The album feels as close to perfection as you get. Intricately produced, I feel I’ll discover new
treats on every listen. Simply put, Erland and the Carnival is an album of too high quality to
ignore.
I highly recommend this album, and I already can’t wait to find out what the Carnival bring us on their next adventure.
Review Score: 9/10
