"floods your senses with illusions to 50's Link Wray-ish doo wop"
The effervescent, transporting sonic triad of "Plain Jane", "Da Selva" and "Eleanor" by San Francisco based four piece indie rock fusion outfit The Carrots, and plucked from their full length album "Potion", speaks to me in as much as each of these sonic dioramas feel strikingly different but cohesive in relation to each other.
Take "Plain Jane" that floods your senses with illusions to 50's Link Wray-ish doo wop as much as it does to progressively drawn psychedelic surf pop and R and B slow dances. The density of sound is spots is gorgeous and embracing as what feels like a sci-fi theremin seems to hypnotize you into submission.
"Da Selva", conversely, with it's fluid off beats feels at once like a Radiohead free for all, dark and twisted while baring Brazilian flavors (maybe a strikingly diverse collaboration between Chico Buarque and Thom Yorke). The track flies off the handle with a truly beautifully explosive abstract musical break (with outrageous drumming) only to settle into rhythmic cuica enhanced salsa of sorts before a glorious final eruption of sounds.
And last, but not least, the forward falling "Eleanor" that playfully dances with jazz rock guitar flurries and funky grooves. The persistent patterns that roll throughout this track as a framework for fluid guitars that run the gamut of western noir, funk rock and jazz pop might feel the most traditionally jazz rock jammy in terms of counter positioning. It will get you closing your eyes and head bobbing.
I imagine that The Carrots are inspired by many kinds of music and I would wager a guess that they have delved into old school records like Pat Metheny Group's "Offramp" as well as prog rock fusions like the "Noctourniquet" album by The Mars Volta, not to mention surf rock, broad swathes of jazz, indie and of course world music. I would bet that they have voracious tastes that all are ultimately distilled into their varying soundscapes. All these curious question from three tracks alone, I hope to find time to delve into the entire album.
LINER NOTES:
[Rooted in San Francisco, Campbell (electric guitar) and Garrett (electric octave mandolin) first started writing music together in 2016, and soon thereafter started playing friends’ backyard barbecues and small venues across the bay area. The duo garnered a local following with their unique sound and as the music and gigs grew so did the band, eventually adding local musicians Chris Grant and Chris Farwell on drums and bass in 2019.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
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https://www.instagram.com/thecarrots_sf/
https://linktr.ee/thecarrots
The Carrots are a San Francisco-based four piece with an eclectic, groove-oriented sound all their own. As a predominantly instrumental group, it’s easy to draw parallels to indie predecessors like Khruangbin, The Mattson 2, and Tommy Guerrero. But when listening to The Carrots you’d be hard pressed to say they sound like any one thing. Taking inspiration from the broader pop lexicon of jazz, surf, psychedelic, indie, and a wide range of world music, The Carrots weave together intricate, deeply melodic songs that are equal parts ‘feel good’ and “out there.”
Rooted in San Francisco, Campbell (electric guitar) and Garrett (electric octave mandolin) first started writing music together in 2016, and soon thereafter started playing friends’ backyard barbecues and small venues across the bay area. The duo garnered a local following with their unique sound and as the music and gigs grew so did the band, eventually adding local musicians Chris Grant and Chris Farwell on drums and bass in 2019. With live music back on the horizon for 2021, The Carrots are looking to make a bigger imprint on the San Francisco scene, and look forward to the release of their new EP “Say Yeah.”
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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/thecarrots_sf/
https://linktr.ee/thecarrots
The Carrots are a San Francisco-based four piece with an eclectic, groove-oriented sound all their own. As a predominantly instrumental group, it’s easy to draw parallels to indie predecessors like Khruangbin, The Mattson 2, and Tommy Guerrero. But when listening to The Carrots you’d be hard pressed to say they sound like any one thing. Taking inspiration from the broader pop lexicon of jazz, surf, psychedelic, indie, and a wide range of world music, The Carrots weave together intricate, deeply melodic songs that are equal parts ‘feel good’ and “out there.”
Rooted in San Francisco, Campbell (electric guitar) and Garrett (electric octave mandolin) first started writing music together in 2016, and soon thereafter started playing friends’ backyard barbecues and small venues across the bay area. The duo garnered a local following with their unique sound and as the music and gigs grew so did the band, eventually adding local musicians Chris Grant and Chris Farwell on drums and bass in 2019. With live music back on the horizon for 2021, The Carrots are looking to make a bigger imprint on the San Francisco scene, and look forward to the release of their new EP “Say Yeah.”
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