"Egregore", by The Carmelittles, at first, hit me square in the face like industrial protopunk and, in fact, I thought immediately of "Warm Leatherette" (1978) by The Normal. I suppose it was the spartan machine beat and cadence but then not ten seconds in it transformed into a kind of jazzy lounge pop tempest and I imagined a burned out Vegas with band on a decrepit stage. My vision was, indeed, something out of a David Lynch dream because while the "Egregore" runs quickly, there is something strange going on, beautifully strange.
The Carmelittles (I seem to mispronounce the name as The Karma Lights every time) is the chamber pop / bedroom rock project of Henri Poilevey. With a quest to elevate the standing of a "bedroom musician" to something sounding more grand, in "Egregore", he has succeeded but I don't think it is the sheer grandeur that has captivated me as much as that his sweeping orchestrated chamber pop / art rock feels like it is reflected in a fun house mirror. Of the track, that Poilevey, wrote and produces himself as well as plays all the parts (except for backing vocals by Sebastian Anton-Ojeda) he says:
"Egregore is an apocalyptic chamber-dance tune for an age of uncertainty and fear. It features a large and explosive sound palette, including a strong hook with several singers, driving drums, a Joe-Jackson-esque bassline, percussive impacts, and a galloping piano section that ties the whole song together. It features a strong electronic-ambient ending with theremin, oboes, flutes, and piano arpeggios. The song has a somewhat hyper, 1980s new wave sound, but updated for the new decade of the 2020s."
Poilevey's description is wonderful and interesting and the Joe Jackson reference is telling, made me smile, not only because I don't hear him referred to very much as of late (except maybe by me as a reviewer) but because it helps me understand Poilevey's musical view in a foundational way (I think).
In the end, "Egregore" is a wildly imaginative whirlwind of a song, feeling a bit like a fervent house band playing on a modern Titanic in a world where the oceans have literally dried up. All that and I haven't even gotten to the lyrics but I have displayed them below.
"Egregore" is from The Carmelittles' debut full-length album "Wreath" that dropped September 12th (2020).
-Robb Donker Curtius
"Egregore" lyrics:
something was new
in the wrong/strange kind of way
it was like deja vu
but the change was a mistake
the crows flying low
near the oil drill
the sunrise was red
and a cardinal let out a shrill
something is wrong
the moon has been full
for so many damn days
but i'm moving along
I'll read through the burns
and get out of the way
the kids are depressed
Billie sings their dirge
no one knows what's next
but what's buried must emerge
a bomb in the stone
a white spider crawled up an old cedar tree
now the gift is a loan
the Reaper wore sweatpants
and signed for the fees
something is wrong
nobody weeps
but their faces are long
it's boiling beneath
they're clenching their fists
and I'm clenching my teeth
this ain't about the flesh
or the blood
but the dead born from the mud
you've gotta circle once to know you're lost
unless you turn the circle to a spiral
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it was like deja vu
but the change was a mistake
the crows flying low
near the oil drill
the sunrise was red
and a cardinal let out a shrill
something is wrong
the moon has been full
for so many damn days
but i'm moving along
I'll read through the burns
and get out of the way
the kids are depressed
Billie sings their dirge
no one knows what's next
but what's buried must emerge
a bomb in the stone
a white spider crawled up an old cedar tree
now the gift is a loan
the Reaper wore sweatpants
and signed for the fees
something is wrong
nobody weeps
but their faces are long
it's boiling beneath
they're clenching their fists
and I'm clenching my teeth
this ain't about the flesh
or the blood
but the dead born from the mud
you've gotta circle once to know you're lost
unless you turn the circle to a spiral
spotify
apple
bandcamp
The Carmelittles is a chamber pop and bedroom-rock project of Henri Poilevey, who writes, produces, records, and performs most of the instruments on his records. One of his many goals with The Carmelittles is to expand the definition of "bedroom musician" to something grander, more orchestrated, and hopefully, more impactful on listeners. The Carmelittles' debut album "Wreath" came out September 12, 2020.
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