OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - CARBON CHOIR - SAKHALIN
*****MARCH - APRIL 2012*****
Following their critically acclaimed 2009 album High Beams, Carbon Choir's brand new release Sakhalin was heavily supported even before it's inception. In the summer of 2011, much of the project was funded by their fans through Kickstarter.com, then the band immediately hit the studio to begin recording what would be their 2nd long playing release. As a 'less is more' approach quickly became the main focal point of the record, the members of Carbon Choir, intent on capturing the unique energy of the band, decided on bringing in no auxiliary instruments this time around, which ultimately contributed to a bigger, badder, and often simpler version of their former selves. At the same time, they explore a brighter, more energetic musical territory here, which is interestingly at odds with the name which this group of 6 songs bares. Main songwriter and singer/guitarist Joel Van Horne says the name is simply a reference to a Sakhalin tree (pronounced 'sak-uh-lyn'), under which an imagined story of a love rekindled takes place in the title track Sakhalin. Lyrically, there are many themes throughout the record, but one that comes to the surface more than once is the feeling of being very far off, marooned in the distant reaches of ones mind... and for Joel, Sakhalin, a very real place in NE Russia, seemed the perfect embodiment for that idea. There are still many moments of beautiful and reflective melancholy throughout the record (something the band is known for), but according to Sakhalin as a whole, there's a much brighter side to this band as well. And speaking of bright things, Carbon Choir's future looks better than ever. The band plans to hit the road in support of Sakhalin in the coming months, expanding their reach outside of Colorado, and is looking to attract indie label interest and film/TV placements with the new material.
Joel Van Horne - Vocals, Guitar, Loops
Chris Hatton - Piano, Keyboards, Glockenspiel
Ryan Fechter - Bass
Scott Weidner - Drums, Percussion
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Booking and Management:
SEG: Sweetwine Entertainment Group
Contact: Ira Sweetwine
ira@sweetwinegroup.com
303-444-1554p
303-845-7202f
www.sweetwinegroup.com
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"Carbon Choir is another band whose sound has matured greatly since its last release. Still centered on Joel Van Horne‘s powerful songwriting and evocative vocals, the six tracks on “Sakhalin” — also funded via Kickstarter — showcase a quartet that has found its sound and knows itself well. Comparisons can still be made to a number of melodic pop rock acts, but those would be both lazy and unfair. “Sakhalin” is richly arranged, expertly performed and beautifully recorded, with a solid soul of well-crafted songs and thoughtful lyrics." - Eryc Eyl, Denver Post's Reverb Blog, May, 2012.
"With the 2009 release of High Beams, Carbon Choir showed promise with a set of introspective, heartfelt songs rimmed with layers of impressionistic, melodic flickers of sound. As Joel Van Horne's vocals soar over the top of the instrumentation, he shows an impressive command of tone, and the power of his emotional resonance is equally compelling. But this band doesn't weave together abstract music performed with a sense of detachment: A Carbon Choir show is a visceral experience, precisely because these guys play their music not like they're trying to get you to remember some experience of a long time ago, but to get you to experience something new, right here and now." - Tom Murphy, Westword Magazine, January, 2012
Said of 2009's High Beams:
"God, I hope a lot of people hear this album... phenomenal by all accounts." -B. Johnson, Marquee Magazine
"Carbon Choir's "Afraid to Multiply," the lead track on new album "High Beams," is one of the most succinct, graceful musical statements to come out of Denver this year." -John Wenzel, Denver Post, Dec. 4, 2009
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