I never would have guessed that a band with a name like this could produce something so beautiful.
Springtime Carnivore by Springtime Carnivore is a lovely bit of pop akin to the best work of Aimee Mann. The record, out tomorrow on Autumn Tone, is a real surprise and I urge you to grab it ASAP.
Dig the Lesley Gore-meets-Garbage vibe of "Name on a Matchbook" and then play it a few more times again as I did. Greta Morgan, the main person behind this record, pours her heart out in this cut but the production by Richard Swift (producer of the latest Foxygen record) adds immeasurably to the overall effect.
The even peppier "Sun Went Black" adds fuzzy guitar to some O.M.D.-styled effects to produce a catchy piece of glorious pop.
"Foxtreat Freak (Something in the Atmosophere)" sounds like the best Aimee Mann cut that never made it into some unmade P.T. Anderson film. This is just a rapturous piece of music.
I think my favorite song on the record is "Last One to Know" which veers close to classic soul territory. The production here sounds a bit like what you might hear on a Philly soul record from the 1970s but it's been tweaked a bit. Greta's vocals on this one recall Chrissie Hynde for a listener and the tune is both languid and direct, no mean feat.
Springtime Carnivore by Springtime Carnivore was for this listener a marvelous surprise. Quite simply, this is a record of emotion and well-crafted Pop in the very best sense of that word. Fans of early Everything but the Girl, Annie Lennox, Aimee Mann, and Rufus Wainwright should find much to love here and I urge even a mildly curious listener to take a chance and get this record. I do not think you will be disappointed.
Springtime Carnivore by Springtime Carnivore is out tomorrow on Autumn Tone.
Follow Springtime Carnivore on their official Facebook page.