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Carnival Club: Magdalena's Cape EP
Carnival Club Magdalena's Cape EP CD Album Review

Carnival Club: Magdalena's Cape EP

Alt/Indie Melodic Hard Rock
4.0/5.0

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Demolition Diner Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 26.04.2017

Carnival Club, a foursome of youngsters in their late teens and early twenties, from Manchester UK, have some musical skills beyond their years and the very short time they've been together. They land with their first recording, Magdalena's Cape, an EP of five songs.

Carnival Club Band Photo

Carnival Club

Carnival Club falls into the larger genre ocean of melodic rock, but that's where the pigeonholing ends. Drawing from a variety of vintage and modern styles, they put their own indie spin on them to create some interesting and diverse songs. And as usual that puts me out of my comfort zone, sometimes. Perhaps it's best to walk through the songs and let me tell you what I hear.

The EP begins with House Of Cards, a heavier tune that made me feel transported back to the Seventies. The heavy bottom end and thick groove, led by the bass line, give something of a stoner vibe, yet the sharp fuzzy riffs give the song a friendly bounce and a psychedelic feeling. With Mistakes Troubles and Kisses, Carnival Clubs' musical timbre changes. The beat and groove pulsate with more upbeatness and the riffs have a sweeter timbre to them. You're So Hostile continues with the more smoother groove. The swarming and echoing guitar riffs, and subtle solos, reminds of something that The Edge might accomplish. Then they wrap the arrangement in some light synth orchestration. Magdalena's Cape, perhaps my favorite song of the bunch, had me catching some possible retro Westcoast vibe. From the riffs to vocals there's this ethereal to psychedelic atmosphere, then ranging from sweet to spooky. If anything, the guitar solo in the latter third is a haunting one. Headaches ends the short EP, and Carnival Club revisits the heaviness of the start. The pace is moderate but deliberate, the riffs choppy to shred, the keyboards wander, and the groove thumps with earnest steadiness. All this occupies the song until about three minutes in where Carnival Club stirs the musical ingredients into a frenzy, and then abruptly stops.

Carnival Club's Magdalena's Cape is another reason why we music lovers need to, from time to time, look beyond are usual musical stomping grounds and find something fresh, possibly even new. Carnival Club takes cues from both classic and modern rock and delivers a genuinely creative and unexpected collection of songs, at least for these ears. Recommended.



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The Bottom Line

Carnival Club's Magdalena's Cape is another reason why we music lovers need to, from time to time, look beyond are usual musical stomping grounds and find something fresh, possibly even new. Carnival Club takes cues from both classic and modern rock and delivers a genuinely creative and unexpected, at least for these ears. Recommended.

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