Carina Round
Country of origin:
England
Type of music generally:
Beautiful and fierce alternative rock
Status:
Most recent release, Things You Should Know (digital ep, 2009); most recent full-length release, Slow Motion Addict (2006/2007 in U.S.)
See also:
Carina Round's site
Comparisons:
PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, a touch of Rickie Lee Jones, Kristeen Young, Tara Jane O'Neil
Covers/own material:
Own.
General comments:
Carina Round is a powerful, edgy and near-frightening performer and songwriter, whose songs deal with the darker and more fractious side of human emotions. (adamk@zoom.co.uk)I agree about Carina Round. She is wonderful. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
Comments about live performance:
Finally got to see Carina Round, creator of the excellent first blood mystery last night: she was part of the "Roadworks" series of gigs, singer/songwriters lumped together on the bill. Carina Round, though.....ahhhh, Carina. First of all: she's gorgeous. Utterly gorgeous. Her set consisted of nine songs, only three of which come from the album. The rest are all new, part of an album she'll be recording in the new year. Her new songs confirmed my PJ Harvey (To Bring You My Love era) comparison. She is sooooo good. With incredible support from her band (special mention to the atmospheric, Marc Ribot-like stylings of guitarist Tom Livemore) she stomped along, took no prisoners. A seductive outpouring of bile, a beautiful, blood-stained caress of the spine. Get her album. Get it now. And watch out for her. If there's any justice (but is there ever?) she should be huge. I can't praise Carina Round high enough. GET THE ALBUM!! (12/02)
Quite an intense performance from Carina last night at the Garage. The evening somewhat marred by the fact that this had been billed, originally, as a headline gig, which was then changed to co-headline with another band. Carina still packs more in a half hour than most bands do in an hour, and this was a shining example of compressed and cathartic energy. Not quite as good as the Borderline gig I saw earlier this year, but it's great to see someone so obviously, physically and spiritually into it, so tuned in and committed to the music, but still having fun. The set comprised mostly of her second album The Disconnection, which lacks the jazzy textures of First Blood Mystery and sounds a lot more like PJ Harvey. It was a tight, all-too-brief set. And she'd even brought her mother along (ahhhhhh). (11/03)
Well, another performance from Carina that can only be described as....cathartic. And awe-inspiring and beauteous. The good news was that she was headlining, really headlining. Despite having a really bad cold, Carina gave a fireball of a performance, never letting the songs suffer (although her inter-song banter sounded deathly croaky). The one-hour set drew, again, mostly from her new album, The Disconnection, with only "Let it Fall" from her debut making it through. I still think this is a pity, as is a lot more musically adventurous than The Disconnection, but the evening held one of those wondrous, eye-opening surprises in the form of the live version of "Elegy". I've always thought of it as a rather puzzling fizzle-out of a final song on The Disconnection, but she and her band enlarged it into something amazing, an epic, dazzling and uplifting soundscape that I didn't want to end. Everything a live version should be. And, as for her spoken-word rant at the end of "Let It Fall"—well, she's a woman possessed, and it's electrifying. Go see. Go see. (1/04, adamk@zoom.co.uk)WOW—let me reiterate WOW. I was expecting piano, but got guitar—crunchy, loud, intense, fantastic...I need to go listen to the new album again after seeing her live—only downer from the show was the shortness and that she didn't have time to play more songs from the first album. One of the best concerts of the year. (11/03, gordoja@optonline.net)
Recommended first album:
the first blood mystery, for its more adventurous arrangements. (adamk@zoom.co.uk)I would say The Disconnection for its pure guts and power. (Neile)
Recordings:
- the first blood mystery (2001)
- The Disconnection (2003)
- Slow Motion Addict (2006/2007 in U.S.)
- Things You Should Know (digital ep, 2009)
the first blood mystery
Release info:
2001—animal noise—ANICD114
Availability:
U.K.
Ecto priority:
Essential
Group members:
Carina Round—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Simon Smith (Smudge)—all stand-up bass
Marcus Galley—drums (except "Let it Fall")
Produced by:
Gavin Monaghan
Comments:
A personal and fire-fuelled odyssey, Carina's debut covers the entire spectrum of human emotion with an impressive array of styles, from the latin-tinged piano of "message to apollo", the massed recorders of "lightbulb song", the jazz-inflected "how I see it", right up to the harrowing, blood-curdling finale of "on leaving", this album shows her to be musically and emotionally mature beyond her years, and stuffed full of so many layers, textures that its short running time is all but forgotten—she packs a powerful punch in only seven songs. It was a BIG find that I picked up purely on spec. Ever have that? Ever just see a cover and think "Hmmmm....could be interesting". Well, I fell for it. And it's bloody brilliant. One of those CDs that I put on, listened to......and then listened to again. And then again. I must have listened to it five times today. It's not like I'm humming the tunes, or anything, and therein lies the beauty. After the hype over Gemma Hayes and her riffs and her way with a lyric (which is: repeat a line; repeat it again; repeat it again; repeat it again; go back to the beginning) it's something of a relief to find someone who stretches a tune a bit. I'd give you a comparison, but my head gave out after a while...."A bit like PJ Harvey meets Rickie Lee Jones....no, wait, a bit like...a bit like....Katie Carr, or..." oh, sod it. buy it. hear the massed recorders, the weirdly harmonising voices, the muted trumpet and upright bass, stick around for the last, epic tune that sounds like something PJ would do if she decided to experiment a bit. It's a short album: 7 songs, 36 minutes. But it packs....well, not so much a punch, more of a haunting, blood-soaked caress.
Buy it. (adamk@zoom.co.uk)I definitely second Adam's recommendation—the Carina Round disc is wonderful. Reminds me a bit of Tara Jane O'Neil's albums (I know it doesn't help to relate to another extremely obscure artist but it will have to do...). One of the best discoveries of the year. (gordoja@optonline.net)
The Disconnection
Release info:
2003—Dehisce—DEHIS CD 001
Availability:
U.K.
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Carina Round—vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, Rhodes, mandolin
Guest artists:
Tom Livemore—electric guitars, harmonium, piano, tape delay, mandolin
Simon Smith—electric bass, double bass, portamento, electric guitar
John Large—drums, various percussion, gravel in a box
Marcus Galley—drums on "Sit Tight"
Produced by:
Gavin Monaghan & Carina Round
Comments:
Lacking the variety of textures and influences that filled her debut, this is somewhat disappointing, and comes across as a far more generic piece in terms of style. It doesn't give me the same visceral thrill as her first one, which I knew immediately was great. It all sounds cleaned up and not quite as full-on as her first one, as well as her live versions of these songs. That said, it still packs an emotional punch, and there's no doubting her commitment and honesty. Songs like "Into My Blood", "Paris" and "Monument" still rattle the bones and fire the soul, and keep her miles ahead of the pack. (adamk@zoom.co.uk)a beautiful and fierce classic. not a bad song and fans of kristeen young will dig this. it's astonishing. she recalls polly jean and how. very close to the best of the year. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
This is one of the most gutsy, focused, powerful, and beautiful albums I've ever heard. Raw but also hook- and melody-filled. Amazing. As Adam says, it rattles the bones and fires the soul. While I really liked her her first album, this one knocks me out. (Neile)
Slow Motion Addict
Release info:
2006 (2007 U.S.)—Interscope Records
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Carina Round—vocals, guitar, piano
Guest artists:
Tom Livemore—guitar, piano, synthesizer
Glen Ballard—piano, synthesizer
John Large—celesta, drums, percussion
Simon Smith—bass synthesizer, electric bass
Produced by:
Glen Ballard
Comments:
The release date for this has been put off and put off in the UK until I finally broke down and found a promo copy on Amazon U.S. marketplace. And it was worth the wait. Starts out utterly brilliantly, gets a bit samey in a PJ Harvey way in the middle, then pulls out hidden depths towards the end, leaving me haunted. Sure, sounding like PJ Harvey is no bad thing, but I still miss the complexities and eclectic influences of her debut. That said, this is a great CD and one of the rare new releases I find myself listening to over and over again. This strays further from the jazzy and occasionally feral feel of her debut, but the set of tunes on offer here are so good, so sharp and full of feeling and commitment and it's all so bright and full of punch, it's just brilliant. (1/8/07, adamk@zoom.co.uk)For me this album is disappointing until about halfway through, when it suddenly gains energy and life and individuality again. the first blood mystery is indeed mysterious but punchy, The Disconnection is totally gutsy, and this one is a mixed bag, seeming as though she (or more likely Glen Ballard) was aiming at dulling down her sound in order to gain popularity but couldn't bring herself to do it entirely. Some great moments. (Neile)
Things You Should Know EP
Release info:
2009—digital only
Availability:
See Carina Round's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Comments:
EPs allow for perfection much more than full albums, esp albums with 17 tracks from redheads who don't know how to edit :) Carina's voice sounds lovely. If 'Slow motion addict' was too glossy pop for you, you might enjoy this ballad-heavy collection. Perhaps she can't write a raw 'First blood mystery' again because her sense of perfect pop melody is too strong.
Single 'Backseat' is pretty and one day I might get over my irritation with the closing lyrics (video on website). 'Please don't stop' is gorgeous and soft then loud, yey. 'Thief in the sky' is one of the catchiest songs Carina has ever written, up there with 'Into my blood'. A recording can't replicate the fun of watching her layer her voice with loops live, but still wonderful. 'Do you' is the gorgeous delicate whisper that climaxes with loud guitars and eyes being scratched out. Not as vicious as live versions, but works better as a song this way. 'For everything a reason' is another lovely ballad which gets loud. That seems to be her new favorite song structure :) (k_hester_k@yahoo.co.nz)Yes! Go listen to it! It's every bit as good as they're saying from what I've heard. (lotterose @ gmail . com)
Back to form! I love this. I agree with Karen: Her voice sounds lovely and the songs are great. This is terrific and highly recommended. (Neile)
Thanks to Adam Kimmel and JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
