The Carousels “Sail Me Home St. Clair”
The Carousels are a Scottish band with a knack for California psyche-folk, think The Byrds Sweetheart of The Rodeo era and Gram Parsons. Opening with the easygoing “Josephine,” it features a steady strum, slide guitar, and layered Beach Boys-styled harmonies. “Lord Speed My Hurricane” jangles away and “Silvio” builds into it’s laid back melody, with its pedal steel guitar accents after each verse.
With the addition of violin, banjo, and harmonium the overall sound of each song is rich and yet it allows for nuance. The stronger melodies and storytelling are present in “Like A Loaded Gun” and “By Your Side.” It gets trippier on “Man Out Of Me,” but most of the music is very consistent, although the lack of a distinct lead singer gives the music less focus. Still, those harmonies are simply gorgeous. Give this one a shot.
The Honest Mistakes “Burn it Down”
Once again, The Honest Mistakes rock out alongside the forceful vocals of Joylene Dalia. Much of the album was recorded in a practice studio, and as a result, the music has a looser approach. The grinding guitar riffs on the opener “Go Ahead and Try” are strong and the 50’s styled rhythms on “You Better Say Something” are also a lot of fun.
Songwriter and guitarist Chris Ehrich does his best to utilize Joylene’s vocals on “Here We Are Again” with a lighter touch. The country styled rocker “I Could Care” is a big highlight here with its jangling melody and message about standing tall and being there for someone. Not all of the songs resonate, and there are times I feel the guitars and vocals aren’t on the same page (“Broken”) but when everything comes together it’s worth it. Check it out, cause this is a band that deserves to be heard.