Let me tell you something about reviewing and how it is decided what will get a review on here. Sometimes it is very straight forward: our dark overlord gives a direct order to review something. Luckily (for me at least) life is keeping him too busy to that stuff too often. That’s when I get to browse through the seemingly endless lists of releases that are brought to our attention. How to pick something from a pile that big? Sometimes I listen to short clips in the hope a first impression will save me from listening to something that’s just too far out of my comfort zone. Sometimes I just pick something based on the artwork. Which is what happened with The Carvels NYC.
Just look at that artwork. Ain’t it gorgeous? Just because of that artwork it deserves your attention! But there’s more. The five songs on here are a soundtrack to good times. The opening title track sets the tone. It’s a power-pop punky anthem. Without any knowledge beforehand I was a bit surprised about the inclusion of a sax in the line-up. You see, I am a bit of purist when it comes to my punk. I like it as clean as possible, meaning: bass, drums and guitar are all you need. The Carvels NYC prove me that when done correct, a sax can be a perfectly fine addition to a punk band. The other four songs are equally enjoyable. There’s a certain (later) Ramones vibe to be found on all tracks, mixed with a couple of other NY punk bands. Strongest selling point here is not the artwork or the song writing though. No, to me the biggest selling point here is Lynne Von Pangs voice. I don’t know to whom to compare it, but after spinning this EP a couple of times I want more!
If you feel the same as me after listening to this EP, I am happy to inform you that there are a couple of new tracks available in the form of a new EP: Life Is Not A Waiting Room. At this time of year, when the days are pretty short already but keep getting shorter for a couple of weeks I can still get my vitamin D by playing canned sunshine in the form of this EP.
Related news
