Created on Thursday, 08 November 2012 05:19 Written by Grace Kelly / Staff Writer
The Carpet Squares’ new album is filled with dark humor that portrays deep concepts and captivating sounds with the potential to form great music — even if it missed the mark this time.
The Carpet Squares is a two-man band whose honest lyrics have darkly comical tinges that create a pensive, yet strumming, track flow.
The band's self-titled album with features the relatable “Cubicle Queen”as its fourth song that, in its melancholy, reflects the routine of a woman in her cubicle — the utilitarian office space holding so much of her life. The band members sing about this woman as being “high on caffeine, plotting revenge on the copy machine” — an understandable sentiment for those who have worked as corporate drones.
The Smiths-esque humor found in The Carpet Squares’ lyrics is constructed around a slow beat with eerie, synth vocals that reflect a more complex concept regarding the depressing and constricting grips of office life.
The rest of the album continues this rather dreary outlook with songs such as “Independence,” “WI” and “WHYGTL? (What Have You Got To Lose?)” that reflect the broken lives of people whose dreams have never blossomed. There is a feeling of desperation and resignation that emanates from the songs’ slow pace and monotonous vibe.
In these tracks, the nasal-sounding vocals tinged with synth-echo effects are reminiscent of Brandon Flowers’ — the voice behind The Killers — but without the heavy, fast beats characteristic of the band’s music. While this pop influence is evident, other songs, like “Saloon,” show sparks of blues rock and jazz, creating a slow but deep cascade of musical rhythms. “Saloon” renders a tone similar to that of a ballad and tells the story of a poker match in a smoky billiard room.
The Carpet Squares have what it takes to create grade-A music, but they might need to adopt a wider range of vocal projections and create more distinction between each track to truly find success.
Editors note: This article has been corrected to reflect the order of songs on the album.
