Marc Carroll

Posted in Ten Of Swords - reviews on 20/10/2010

Ten Of Swords

Daily Mirror (UK)

"TEN OF SWORDS" ****
"Named after a celebrated Bob Dylan bootleg, this debut album was almost entirely played, sung and composed by Carroll, a pop auteur in the Todd Rundgren mould. The influences from Hank Williams to The Velvets - could over-whelm but trenchant songwriting puts them to good use. Very sharp."

Posted in Ten Of Swords - reviews on 20/10/2010

Ten Of Swords

The Telegraph (UK)

Dublin born Marc Carroll is a classic pop obsessive with a knack for combining Dylanesque verbosity with crisply punky arrangements. He's one of those sickeningly talented multi-instrumentalists who make those of us who can barely master the tambourine bristle with jealousy. Every sound you hear was played and sung by him. This is impressive.

Posted in Ten Of Swords - reviews on 20/10/2010

Ten Of Swords

The Independent (UK) Saturday Edition

With influences ranging from country to The Kinks, this is a solid debut from a fine Dublin based songwriter, Most of all, it recalls great powerpop balladeers like Matthew Sweet, with an added touch of psychedelic wooziness and, on one track, echoes of Hank Williams. Lyrical nous and a handful of up-tempo, toe-tappers round it off well.

Posted in Ten Of Swords - reviews on 20/10/2010

Ten Of Swords

The Independent (UK)

Marc Carroll : Ten Of Swords (Evangeline)
The sleeve design - a parody of a 10 Disc Dylan bootleg of the same title, serves due notice of the young Irish songwriter Marc Carroll's ambition, but is an unreliable guide to his style. For while the opening `Crashpad Number` Deftly apes the harmonies and jangly Rickenbacker arpeggios of The Byrds, There are actually few songs on this compact 11 track album that merit the description `Dylanesque`. In fact Carroll's have a much broader sweep, which places him closer to the likes of Brian Wilson and Todd Rundgren. Like them, he has the vision to perceive the larger musical picture, and like Rundgren at least, the ability to realise that picture virtually without outside assistance, through laborious overdubbing of all the instruments on all but a few of these tracks, with his vocal harmonies likewise layered in grand cascades atop the arrangements. He can turn his hands to several different modes from The Wilco - style `You Saved My Life (Again Last Night)` to the English psychedelic throwback of `Mrs Lullaby` and the trancey, trip hop feedback drones of `In Silence`.

Posted in Ten Of Swords - reviews on 20/10/2010

Ten Of Swords

The Independent (Ireland)

Marc Carroll - Ten Of Swords (Evangeline) ****

Dubliner Marc Carroll brings persistence to new levels. His dealings with the record industry are fast becoming the stuff of legend. He's found an English Indie label to take on Ten Of Swords and thank goodness for that. From The Byrds inspired opener Crashpad Number through to a traditional rendition of the dark folk classic Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down, Carroll delivers a wide range of musical goods with palpable passion. There's a new wave feel and urgent buzzy guitars on songs like Idiot World (which once featured as the backing track on the BBC's `Football Focus`), and Weird Dreams. Swangsong and You Saved My Life (Again Last Night) are simple 60's sounding hum alongs.

Posted in Ten Of Swords - reviews on 20/10/2010

Ten Of Swords

Irish Times

Dubliner Marc Carroll has been around the blocks more times than Sonia O`Sullivan and it's one of life's many mysteries and crying shames that he hasn't to date graduated above cult status. While his fans and quiet champions will no doubt offer this excellent record as further proof of Carroll's focused genius, the realists among us will probably still be playing the There's no justice for some time to come. Power pop punk songs as sublime as `Crashpad Number` , `Mrs Lullaby`, `Idiot World`, `Falling Into Nowhere` and `You Saved My Life (Again Last Night)` add fuel to the argument that Carroll is up there with the great songwriters - structurally he just doesn't put a foot wrong. The inclusion however of the trad/arr `Row The Boat Ashore` is a serious error - excuse this one and you've got yourself a near classic.