Review Summary: 7 minutes in heaven
Slowcore outfit Carrisa's Wierd disbanded in 2003 but return in 2011 with a delicious two track morsel entitled Tucson. First off, I have no idea what the fudge slowcore is supposed to mean but I will admit that it's kind of catchy. It rolls off the tongue real nice. Say it with me people. SLOOOOWWWWWCORRRREEE. Slowcore. It reminds me of Slowbro for some reason. The reason why I bring up this particularly enthralling genre tag is because it's what Seattle based indie group Carissa's Wierd is tagged as. Tucson is Carissa Wierd's first new material released in almost eight years and I must say they bring the goods.
Tucson has only two tracks and runs for about seven and a half minutes but in that brief time Carissa's Wierd create some creative, engaging music. Featuring an exceptional duel male/female vocal tradeoff, a sweeping violin and stirring guitar melodies, Tucson leaves a profound impact upon the listener. The fact that all of the original band members are still in place make for strong chemistry and cohesive songwriting.
The first track is Tucson which begins with a quiet guitar melody before Jenn Ghetto's beautiful voice and Sarah Standard's lavish violin enter. The song is melancholic yet optimistic, evolving from a dreamy alt rocking jam to a bonafide headbanger as the tempo and aggression rises for a moment. The dual vocals of Jenn and Mat Brooke trade off with one another splendidly before the violin and driving guitars close out the song in a dramatic fashion. Meredith & Iris is a slower ballad like number that once more capitalizes on the expressive vocals and violin of this formidable trio in addition to the underlying percussion and emotive guitar work of the other members.
Tucson is such a peaceful listen that it sucks that it ends so quickly. It ends so abruptly that you just want a few more songs. Gosh darnit! I hate appetizers. Both songs are pretty killer though and leave the impression that Carissa's Wierd are going to drop one heck of a record upon us sometime in 2012. Anyone unfamiliar with the band but enjoys listening to shoegaze/indie pop needs to hear this pronto. If you're already a Carissa's Wierd fan and haven't heard this yet then well get on the zazz train to zazzville.
