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Carte Blanche:
Summer's End (EP)
On first listen, the new Summers End E.P. by Carte Blanche didnt sound super-exciting to me, but now I think my mind must have been on Mars somewhere, because this a great release, especially the final few songs. The bands sound is very mellow in an acoustic lounge style thats similar to The Essex Green, The Shins, Ivy, or about a million other bands that I like. I dont really know what it is about sappy love lyrics and lazy vocals mixed with sparkling guitar that always seems to hook me in, but whatever it is, Carte Blanche can deliver what I like. What they lack in novelty, they certainly make up for in precision. There are lots of eerie echoes and strings that balance the album quite well. But lets start with the track that made me stop and take immediate notice, shall we? The fifth song Today Im Crying is just heavenly. Theres some guitar that immediately connects to The Cure zone in my head, but hey, its not Robert Smiths voice this time, what a pleasant surprise. Instead weve got Richard Cranchs soft and warm voice carrying the song in a fresh direction. And then the song morphs smoothly into something like a somber James song. I dont want to overanalyze it anymore, but songs like this dont come around often, and Id suggest this track to anyone that doesnt absolutely hate all the previous bands I mentioned. The EP has seven songs on it, which makes it longer than most Weezer albums, so youre getting a good sampling of their sound here. A few tracks feature female lead vocals by Dana Krause, and like any self-respecting lounge act, the duo combines their pretty voices in layers throughout almost every song. So, dont expect a style you havent necessarily heard before when you check out Carte Blanche. Instead, just expect something a little better than what you are probably listening to right now.
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