Marc Carroll

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

Ten Of Swords

Careless Talk Costs Lives

One of my criteria for judging the greatness of pop it its ability to accompany bicycle rides. This passed with bugs in its teeth. There are a whole host of memorable tunes : Opening single `Crashpad Number` with it's ringing McGuinn-esque guitars and nod to `Manic Monday`; `Mrs Lullaby` who `Does tricks for a pound`, and which ushers in ghostly memories of The Jam at their pop best; `Idiot World` coming on like Velvet Crush with a lost classic from the mighty `In The Pressence Of Greatness`. It's not all rocking out though, songs like the gorgeous `Silent And Blind`, the country picking of `Falling Into Nowhere` and `Terror And Tired Eyes` are restrained moments of beauty, with melodies you want to hum all day long. With `Ten Of Swords` Carroll has made a marvellous fusion of folk, country, rock and pop, and it deserves to be huge.

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

Ten Of Swords

Bucketfull Of Brains

Marc Carroll - Ten Of Swords (Evangeline).
Housed in a mock Trade Mark Of Quality boot package, Marc's first solo outing is further confirmation of the talent that drove the wonderful Hormones a few years back. The album is a mix of classic pop gems and more introspective material. It's mostly a happy merger but i have got to declare a preference for the hook filled uptempo numbers such as the instantly gratifying opening track `Crashpad Number` with its ringing 12 strings and velvety background vocals. Some of the slower tracks demand a bit more patience as they sometimes go into semi-trance mode, but as on `Terror And Tired Eyes` or `In Silence` the payback is most certainly there. Somewhere in between sits `Swansong`, which again showcases Marc's astute tunefulness and distinctive harmony work. The pop-folk of `Silent And Blind` is simply lovely and the traditional `Satan,Your Kingdom Must Come Down` is an inspired choice. This album deserves that you give it the attention it deserves and listening to it all the way through is a rewarding expereince indeed.
Reviewed By Robin Wills.

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

Ten Of Swords

Shindig Magazine (Reviewed By David Bash)

MARC CARROLL - Ten Of Swords (Evangeline)

The former leader of the critically aclaimed mid '90s band The Hormones has embarked upon a solo career, with exemplary results. Ten Of Swords is a do-it-yourself effort by this talented Irishman, and fans of other D.I.Y.-ers like Michael Carpenter will just love these elegant, introspective tunes. Carroll does all the vocals and plays everything on almost all of the tracks, and his main songwriting gifts are communicated through a striking layering of stringed instruments, particularly his adept use of the mandolin. There's a lot of variety on Ten Of Swords; you get melodic rockers ('Idiot World', 'Weird Dreams'), the jangly pop songs 'Crashpad Number' and 'You Saved My Life (Again Last Night),' Simon and Garfunkel-esque ballads ('Silent And Blind,' 'Falling Into Nowhere'), and traditional British folk ('Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down'). The real masterpiece on the album is its coda, 'Terror And Tired Guns (The Brilliance And Violence Of Vincent Van Gogh),' which is a haunting tale both lyrically and musically. Ten Of Swords is an excellent beginning to what musically erudite pop fans will hope to be a very fruitful career by Mr. Carroll.

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

Ten Of Swords

Torpedo Pop (US)

The music varies between shimmering, jangly Pop-Rock nuggets and moody, folkish, singer-songwriter tomes, with a general congregation, respectively, on the putative sides 1 and 2. But they all come together as a whole, a fetching, euphonic whole. Lead off track Crashpad Number intros briefly with an acoustic guitar until an electric bass, a chiming electric guitar and the drums enter in turn, and the song sparkles and soars in mid-tempo. Carroll's vocals are sweet as a Georgia peach with subtle inflection shifts between mid-Mississippi (the river not the state) tang and a Celtic twang. The following, Mrs. Lullaby, is a haunting tale which mixes Psych and Folk elements topped by much vocal layering -- coming to a Rubble volume in the year 2018. The third number, You Saved My Life (Again Last Night), is one of those singer-songwriterly type tunes -- a lovely, twangy, Country-Rock ballad -- funnily enough it is the only one on the album done with a whole band. But he is just as facile with the Rock: Idiot World is a charging, coruscating tune, and Weird Dreams is a ringing, propulsive, multi-layered number that ranks with the finest Velvet Crush -- and these are just Carroll all on his lonesome. There is one cover, a finely picked, harmony-filled version of the traditional tune Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down. I'd also like to note the breathy, echo-laden, one-man Simon & Garfunkelish Silent And Blind. This is truly a lovely album.

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

Ten Of Swords

Rough trade Shop

Debut album by Irish singer songwriter Marc Carroll on Evangeline. Apart from two tracks he plays all the instruments himself. Lush and thrilling acoustic (with a nod to The Replacements/Uncle Tupelo) pop. A glorious album.

Posted in Ten Of Swords - reviews on 20/05/2011

Ten Of Swords

Logo

Emerging seemingly out of nowhere, Irish singer songwriter Marc Carroll's debut sits in the centre of a triangle bounded by the Caledonian MOR of Del Amitri, the hook laden pop of The Replacements and mid-period REM and the amplified sideways folk of fellow country men Tir Na Nog and David Kitt. In mood and temperament `Ten Of Swords` is a close cousin of Del Amitri's `Some Other Suckers Parade`, yet Carroll deftly avoids any hint of stereotype by the simple expedients of diversity and expertise. `Mrs Lullaby hints at what might have been had Syd Barret joined Fairport Convention, or had he emerged to front Cosmic Rough Riders, while `Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down` is a tantalizing glimpse of how Roger Waters might handle a Woody Guthrie tribute. The remainder invite similar esoteric comparisons, yet Carroll remains resolutely an individual, the key here is his open ear and willingness to experiment, making `Ten Of Swords` as welcome as it is unexpected.