Performing Songwriter March-April 2007 top 12 DIY
The title of Jordan Carp’s third studio album can certainly be deemed appropriate given the nature of his songwriting and instrumentation. Like a master craftsman, Carp uses swirling piano to provide the blueprint, electric guitar to lay the foundation, and his husky tenor breathes life into delicate images. “Snowflakes fall like ghosts tonight / the city sleeps under the distorted light,” he sings in “Simple Pleasures.” Harmonies spin around the guitars while bass, drums and Mellotron hold down the rhythm.
The polished helping hand of producer JP Bowersock (Ryan Adams, the Strokes) is evident in tracks like “Giant in a Tiny Universe” (an ode to the one who helps him “see the child inside,”) and “Spaceman” (a dark, offbeat offering-think “Space Oddity” meets “Dark Side of the Moon”). “JP had an insight into the songs I was attracted to,” says Carp. “I was excited every time we talked, and I really connected with his vision.”
On this latest release, Carp has masterfully constructed his own exquisite, albeit dimly-lit, world. “The content of the songs and the harmonies are dark,” he concedes. “But I hope that it makes people feel good. Dark is what makes me feel good. This is the music that I want to hear. I love cold, rainy days and David Lynch films. This is mood music, and it has its place.”
