Marc Carroll

Posted in All Wrongs Reversed - reviews on 20/10/2010

ALL WRONGS REVERSED

Not Lame (US)

'Holy Cow, this is awesome! From the start, yr in for a ride of pure pop pleasure. Song # 1, "Mr. Wilson" is about as perfect of a Posies/Matthew Sweet inspired gem as you'll ever hear, Song #2 "Patterns" is an Sugar influenced ditty in the vein of "If I Could Change Your Mind", Song 3 breaks out the 12 string and the heavenly layered harmonies take you up to the skies, song #4 could have walked off of "Fisherman Blues"(in fact, you'll hear the wafting spirits of Scotland and Ireland on many other tracks as well) and on and on. Check out his debut that we recently carried here, "Ten Of Swords" as it's every bit as great as this one`.

Posted in All Wrongs Reversed - reviews on 20/10/2010

ALL WRONGS REVERSED

Miles Of Music (US)

In the tradition of great pop tunesmiths like The Posies, Matthew Sweet and Teenage Fanclub, Ireland's Marc Carroll crafts thinking man's power pop. With Byrds-ian jangle and Sugar-esque punch, Carroll's odds-and-ends offering, All Wrongs Reversed, comes right on the heels of his debut solo release Ten Of Swords. A couple of Dylan covers ("Gates Of Eden" and "Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)"), an ode to Brian Wilson ("Mr. Wilson") and an acoustic version of the Ten Of Swords track "Crashpad Number" are a few of the interesting surprises you get here. The biggest surprise, though, is his overall depth as a songwriter and amazing tunefulness that will leave you craving more.

Posted in All Wrongs Reversed - reviews on 20/10/2010

ALL WRONGS REVERSED

Minus Zero

Hot on the heels of the magnificent Ten Of Swords, this excellent 11- track round-up of non-LP songs, B-sides & demos superbly showcase Marc's range & talent. Very highly recommended.

Posted in All Wrongs Reversed - reviews on 20/10/2010

ALL WRONGS REVERSED

Fufkin (US)

Marc Carroll (whose Ten of Swords disc was mentioned in this column only two months ago) has wasted no time in releasing another primo assortment of pop tunes. His latest disc, All Wrongs Reversed, is a strong candidate for Top Ten honors in 2003. The opening track, "Mr. Wilson" (an homage to Brian Wilson), sounds like it could be an Adam Schmitt song. The "acoustic" version of "Crashpad Number" still has chiming 12-string riffs throughout its catchy melody. "Don't Let Them Get You Down" could pass for a mid tempo Teenage Fanclub song, and two of the three final tracks have an infectious Paisley Underground-inspired psych-pop flavor. From start to finish, this is one superb power pop album.

Posted in World On A Wire - reviews on 20/10/2010

World On A Wire

Uncut (4 Stars)

Artful sophomore from Dublin-born, Dylan-endorsed songsmith.

For the follow up to the mighty Ten Of Swords (discounting stop gap rarities compilation All Wrongs Reversed), Carroll has dampened the psych pop fizz for a slower dazzle. Where Ten Of Swords was a starburst trip from Carnaby Street to the Whiskey A Go Go, World On A Wire finds him in reflective, more painterly mode. There are strokes of Folk-Blues Dylan amid the subtler pastels, but it's the more layered arrangements that set these wonderful songs of personal faith aglow.

Posted in World On A Wire - reviews on 20/10/2010

World On A Wire

Mojo

Youngish veteran maybe finds that his specialist subject is emotional chaos.

London-based Irish songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Carroll played in unknown bands then, solo, delivered two albums of intelligent pop before discovering this rather convincing variant on himself. World On A Wire dwells in the measured melancholy of almost childlike piano, balanced by richly sorrowful cellos and (post-surfing) Beach Boys harmonies. His voice, subdued yet harnessing something of Bono's blend of innocence and experience, draws out some fetching melodies, none better than No Time At All which encapsulates his striking ability to make coherent music about inner confusion - raging frustration inextricably entwined in doubt and, ultimately, inertia. In tackling this tangled theme he gets the sound dead right. Clarity about chaos is a tall order.