Carousel - My Father's Son

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 31 / 5 / 2018

Label: Carousel
Format: Download

intro

Southend’s Carousel follow their recent EP with a digital release displaying the grittier side to their music

Southend-On-Sea’s Americana-hued Carousel follow up their debut EP, a well-received five song strong demonstration of just how varied this talented foursome are when they combine their talents, with a single that displays yet another side to this band. Produced once again by Peter Waterman and written by guitarist/vocalist Thomas Eatherton, the song was inspired by Eatherton’s hard-working father. It’s no sentimental ballad though; the song takes Eatherson’s admiration for his father and applies it to a wider field lyrically while sonically it takes the rockier style of a couple of those EP tracks to a grimier level. The song literally kicks off with a bluesy riff good enough to bring back memories of the Stones before Eatherton’s heartfelt vocals paint a detailed picture of the man he so admires. This eventually leads to a kick-ass, stomping chorus which has an almost gospel feel and where the rest of the band shine vocally. It is difficult to hold back the urge not only to sing along here but it’s also impossible to keep your legs still. The second verse finds Eatherton putting in an even more emotional vocal performance as lays bare the fact that he is aiming to be the kind of man his father is. That chorus then kicks back in; this time sounding even more powerful if that was possible. Then it happens; a totally unexpected short guitar break kicks more life into your speakers than they’ve heard for months. The stomping and the sound of various shovels banging on boards and generally being abused in ways that the shovel-makers could never have dreamed they would ever be used for meanwhile just adds to the feel-good, determined, atmosphere that this track creates. The chorus then makes a return and, while there was never any doubt from their EP that Carousel featured more than one vocalist, Eatherton’s lead vocals here, especially towards the end of the song are breathtaking. It’s only topped by the whole band singing the final lines in unison; truly a group of vocalists who feed off each other, their combined vocals are a thing of beauty. It appears that this song is only available as a download at the moment and a link can be found at the band’s website, while a short video which shows the band in the studio working on the track is fascinating to watch.

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