For Carnation CD

Musique noir indeed. The For Carnation has heeded the call of Darth Vader and has gone over to the dark side. While the preceding MARSHMALLOWS had moments that you might call "pastoral," there's none of that here. The air on this disc is thick, humid, and dark. Not that TFC was ever a feel-good party band, but here the gloom is palpable.

"Being Held" is splendidly haunting. It starts with what sounds like a distant alarm going off in the warehouse district and morphs into an infectious 6/8 groove. Also a must hear is Kim Deal's processed vocals on "Tales." With nary a major chord in earshot (OK, maybe there's two or three on the entire disc), the songs move slowly and quietly, like a person who has lost hope. This is slowcore at it's finest.

Recorded at Sonora Recorders, The Monastery and King Sound, Los Angeles, California; Magnetic Sound, North Hollywood, California; Electrical Audio and Soma Electronic Music Studio, Chicago, Illinois from July 1998 to July 1999.

Producers: John McEntire, The For Carnation.

Engineers: Tom Grimley, Rod Cervera, John McEntire.

Personnel: Brian McMahan (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Kim Deal, Rachel Haden (vocals); Bobb Bruno (guitar, keyboards); Michael McMaan (guitar); Alison Chesley (cello); Rafe Mandel (keyboards, percussion); John McEntire (synthesizer, bells); Noel Kupersmith (acoustic bass); Todd Cook (electric bass); Britt Walford, Steve Goodfriend (drums); Dan Fliegel (congas).

Recording information: King Sound, Los Angeles, CA (07/1998-07/1999); Magnetic Sound, North Hollywood, CA (07/1998-07/1999); Sonora Recorders, Los Angeles, CA (07/1998-07/1999); The Monastery, Los Angeles, CA (07/1998-07/1999).

The For Carnation: Brian McMahan (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Bobb Bruno (guitar, keyboards, samples); Michael McMahan (guitar); Todd Cook (bass); Steve Goodfriend (drums).

Additonal personnel includes: Kim Deal, Rachel Haden (vocals); Christian Frederickson (viola); Alison Chesley (cello); Rafe Mandel (keyboards, percussion); John McEntire (sunthesizer, bells); Noel Kupersmith (acoustic bass); Dan Fliegel (congas); Britt Walford (drums).

3rd Rel

Q (6/00, p.105) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A muted, minimalist affair, [Brian] MacMahon whispering dark insights and morose reflections over funereally paced drums and guitar lines....makes Arab Strap sound raucous by comparison."
Alternative Press (7/00, p.95) - 4 out of 5 - "...John McEntire's production captures the appropriately sparse mood, keeping a lid on the boiler, letting everything simmer to tension-filled levels with no release."
Magnet (6-7/00, p.81) - "...The expansive, ruminative nature of these tracks lends itself more to quiet reflection than to incisive analysis, there's a lot going on in the airy spaces between the beats and notes....[there is] a candlelight warmth [to] this album's sleepy-time glow."
The Wire (3/00, p.58) - "...Forms songs around pared-back rhythms, which they gradually flesh out into sweeping, epic dirges, while singer/keyboardist Brian MacMahon's deep husky voice rides their rippling, melodic undertoes..."
CMJ (4/17/00, pp.15-6) - "...Uniquely dynamic, minimalist-informed, yet R&B-inspired music....an album of stunning subtlety where the notes that aren't played speak as much as those that are."
Mojo (Publisher) (4/00, p.96) - "...A wonderful, brooding confluence of uneasy atmospheres....The sound is rolling, loose, rich and spacy, threaded with chimes and drones and understated, circular figures, and generates a queasy intimacy..."
NME (Magazine) (12/30/00, p.78) - Ranked #18 in NME's "Top 50 Albums Of The Year".
NME (Magazine) (3/25/00, p.42) - 9 out of 10 - "...A rich, dubby take on the blues....McMahan sings like a man who's just fallen to earth....This album is the sound of time stood still. And, slowly, it drags you under."