The Soundcarriers – Entropicalia (Ghost Box, 2014)

Laced with sunshine vibes and some subversive Bossa Nova, on this The Soundcarriers fourth outing, they don’t stray far from center and from what you’ve come to love and expect from this band who slowly evolve their songs in a lovely determined manner with more than a suggested world music formate, allowing this release to come off a bit stronger, with more of a jazz attack to what’s presented. That’s not to say that The Soundcarriers have ditched their dreamy soundscape attitudes, it’s just that things are unlaced a bit more crisply, sharper, and strongly here. Yes, you can still easily hear their 60’s drenched psychedelic foundations, along with the ghostly image of Edie Sedgwick on the album jacket, seeming to be inviting you in.

The band has never been shy about handing out good lyrics, poetry that stands with a purpose, meaning that the music can be written around the lyrics, or vise versa, without ever missing a beat … an attitude I’ve not experienced to this extent without considering the intelligence of Talking Heads, where the production was harmonic, precise, yet coming off feeling completely natural. Adventurous is not one of the words that instantly comes to mind when considering Entropicalia, but in a fashion it is … even with its solid consistency, the band brings something nearly undefinable and fresh to the table. So fresh and harmonic that at times it’s easy to miss their roots and spaced out jams, coming off as truly new neo-psychedelia that stands on its own feet without looking over its shoulders; with only the mere hint at a musical history riding deep in the background.

Of course their pop elements are still ever present, though it’s when they loosen their grip that the music is able to fly smolderingly unfettered.

– Jenell Kesler

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