Now this is my cup of tea. Carpool Conversation are a three-piece London/Cork based outfit who play alternative/indie/rock - well, that's what they say, but there's a lot more to this band than that. The first track on their new 'Love When' EP, 'Love When', has to my mind a bit of Firehose mixed in for that jazz-punk combination, but there is also a trashy Fat White Family thing going on where you feel a bit dirty after listening. It's quirky and a bit strange which I love, like when you first discover those 'Nuggets' compilations, especially the British ones: bands that never made it but probably had no intention of making it, just loving making uncompromising tunes to please themselves and anyone else is a bonus.
The band are really tight. The drummer locked in with bass and guitar which weaves about, sounding like they are having fun, especially so on second track 'Look At That Skill'. They have that ability to sound bigger than a three piece, but also intricate, and the guitarist goes into an eastern-sounding solo, then merges with the drums and evolves into a reggae step, but not as The Police would do it, more like The Ruts. Third track 'Sunshine On TV' is more of the same, starting with a steady groove but with bursting energy, especially from the drums, and a refrain that says it all about the contradictions of the grim reality of the news followed by an advert for tinfoil or the man on the moon selling Christmas... "send me into outer space...", with a superb west coast guitar solo chucked into the mix. The final song, 'Sunbeam', has an info-sample about Earth in the style of Public Service Broadcasting but backed by The Cardiacs, which when finished lets the band pull away, throwing shapes all over the shop. I need to check this band out and hear what else they have in store, they're always surprising you with something new on every turn, extra special!
Carpool Conversation's website
Buy: 'Love When'
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