Odd, shambling, quirky indie rock which veers from flanged distortion to gentle melodies. To get an idea of the kind of broad, sweeping musical spectrum this record covers, it incorporates elements of psychedelia, power-pop, rock, electronica - and that's literally the tip of this iceberg. I can hear Big Star, Primal Scream, the Butthole Surfers, Pavement ... this list could go on, but what it boils down to is that there are only a handful of contemporary artists that are this ambitious and diverse (two that spring to mind are The Beta Band and Simian). When most songs start, I haven't the slightest clue where they're going because, as Cari Clara proves in "We're The Pollution," they can transform a song that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a lo-fi Guided By Voices record to a soothing, droning, indie rock gem which reminds me of Radiohead in one beat. I won't even bother with classifications (except to tell you that this isn't even close to punk or emo or anything like them), because the only way I can really explain this is noting that it's perfect for a long summer drive through the desert with the top down and the radio up when no other cars are around. It's expansive enough to fill that space. Chalk this disc up as a hugely unexpected surprise which is surprisingly good.
reviewed by punkrockacademy.com
Cari Clara began as an experiment in songwriting and home recording for Eric Diedrichs. Born as a side project to push the boundaries of style and song structure, Eric began to build songs throughout the recording process- a very different approach than his previous endeavors. The project began to blossom, producing beautiful, brooding soundscapes, anchored by pounding percussion and raw synth pulses. This served as a perfect bed for inventive instrumentation and wonderfully haunting melodies. Dark in their subject matter and at times achingly slow, the songs burned with subtle beauty like the muted colors that saturated early technicolor films.
The self-titled debut Cari Clara was released as a solo effort in late 2002. After the release, Eric quickly realized that this music was not best served live as a solo performer. Soon after, Eric put together an outstanding cast to perform the music live, enlisting brother Mark Diedrichs (Simpletons) on keyboards, Jason Arbenz (Throneberry, Goose) on guitar, Brock Cunningham (Saving Ray) on bass, Josh Hagen (Saving Ray) on drums, and Tooch on drums.
Cari Clara performed its first show in early April 2003, and has already acquired quite an enthusiastic fan base.
Screaming Kings will be tearing it up at The Southgate House on Friday February the 15th. We’ve got 3 sweet opening acts that you can’t miss! Doors are at 9pm and tickets are $6. Hope you can rock out with us!
How's married life treating ya? Your wife is so pretty! She looks like she could be a movie star. I had to have yet another emergency surgery so I've been off work, but as soon as I get back to it I'm gonna send ya some money for some cd's and t-shirts and whatnot. I think I still have all the info in my email, I'll let ya know if I don't! Take care, hope life is treating you well!
We'll be at Arnold's this Friday from 9-1. No cover! We'd love to see you out! It's been a long time since Tara O'd dragged us down to Allyn's, but id's be good to see you again.
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