Album Review theconsole.co.uk THE CARPS - The Young & Passionate Days Of Carpedia (EP) Reported by: Phill Northall As with Crystal Castles, there are standard terms you would expect to find in a review about The Carps! The most obvious one being “the next Death From Above 1979”. Oh yeah, ‘cos they’re a two piece and they’re from Toronto and they go completely insane on stage – well done. They are so much more than that. Imagine if DFA 1979, god rest their souls, had made it to that illusive second album, and hired the late James Brown to produce, and Kanye West as vocal coach (provided he was recovered from his recent embarrassment at the MTV awards), and you would be a bit closer to the truth. Soulful lead singer Jahmal Tonge adds a perfect level of R n’ B confidence to the otherwise raw thrashing of his drumkit, and Neil White seems to hold his bass together slightly better than JFK ever could in order to string together far more funkified and fanciful basslines. This is made even more impressive when witnessed live, as the two of them seem to ignore the fact that there is anyone else in the room, wind themselves up, and like the Duracell bunny just keep on going and going and going, although the Duracell bunny never threw itself mentally around the room the way Mr. White does, or bang its little drum with such passion and ferocity as Jahmal. Topping the list of tracks on their EP ‘The Young and Passionate Days of Carpedia vol. 2’ has to be ‘All the Damn Kids’, a song written when they themselves were just “damn kids” but definitely still relevant today. A frustrated commentary on ‘the scene’ and all the “damned hipster scenester wanksters” that inhabit it, that culminates in an impassioned scream for us all to “raise our flags”. If they do ever get out of North America to tour, make sure not to ask them for guest-list to their shows, as people not contributing to the music scene and just desperately searching for the next big thing, whilst ignoring the present quality, is of particular annoyance to The Carps! Oh and definitely don’t mention how they are that ‘rare thing’ a rock band that is made up entirely of minority races! Now “get in the car you black monkeys” and “raise your flag!” for The Carps!