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Carpenter - Sea To Sky

Carpenter

Sea To Sky

 

One look at the band’s MySpace URL (myspace.com/johncougarisgod) ought to give a clear indication of where Carpenter’s allegiances lie. Like Mr. Mellencamp, this group of Canadian farm kids fight for the little guy, eschewing the practices of agribusiness and lending their time and energy to several admirable causes. That sort of homegrown conviction shines through Carpenter’s music on their sophomore full-length, Sea To Sky.

Throughout Sea To Sky’s 10 tracks, Carpenter navigate into surprisingly different directions, while impressively never straying far from their roots. Whether it’s flat-out rockers (“Mean Things,” “Long Hard Day”), heartfelt ballads (“Just Another Friday Night,” “Joan”) or an amalgamation of the two (“Northern Exposure”), the band never appear out of their element, their versatility anchored by the confident vocals of Daniel Sioui, a cross between Polar Bear Club’s Jimmy Stadt and Piebald’s Travis Shettel.

Carpenter’s roots in punk and hardcore are apparent, too; “Separate” is a catchy, double-time jaunt equipped with a massive chorus that showcases the band at their absolute best, and gang vocals even pop up on “You Might Be Right.” These subtle twists and turns, and the poise with which the band handle these twists and turns make Sea To Sky an invigorating listen.

Paper + Plastick http://www.paperandplastick.com

“Separate”

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