New Music 2018 - Part 25 - Carson Mchone - Carousel

Listening to embargoed new music, not yet available to the public for some weeks, is a privilege and somewhat scary at the same time. It feels to me like driving a vehicle that I have no previous experience with but which I feel confident about being able to handle. This is the forthcoming LP by Carson Mchone, based in Austin TX. I think this to be a particularly apt analogy given the rather oblique nature of the album artwork. Let's start with that because it's the only visual clue you get. No words; nothing but a couple of film negatives.

Carson Mchone - Carousel (Nine Mile Records, 26 October 2018).

On the face of it this might seem like deliberate alienation. On further investigation it isn't like that in my opinion. It is a case of deliberate differentiation, born out of feelings of not wishing to flow with the wider crowd. Some of the songs on this record are reworkings of those that appeared on her 2015 LP Goodluck Man. I wrote about that here. She was keeping fine company then and I have no doubt that this trend is set to continue. This is the playlist for the new LP:

Carson Mchone - Carousel:

• Sad
• Drugs
• Lucky
• Good Time Daddy Blues
• Dram Shop Gal
• Intro Gentle
• Gentle
• Maybe They're Just Really Good Friends
• How 'Bout It
• Spider

This is alt-country crafted on pretty much her own terms. The new versions of the songs from the earlier release, and I decided not to say which they are as you can easily find out if you wish, are sometimes rather different to the earlier ones and even slightly upbeat. There's very much a bluesy, honky tonk vibe going on in a lot of this but she is no slave to a particular trope. That said the version of Dram Shop Gal on this release is beautifully wistful in its new incarnation and a particular highlight for me. 

It's hard to tell where she might turn next, but that's really exciting and exactly why I want to see her play live at the earliest opportunity. She's something of a wild card I think; to that end I tried to retro-engineer one of the photos on the album cover. I think that it says a certain something about her approach.

What's the carousel worth if you ride to the fairground bareback on a gray steed?

She is wilfully different. I hope she stays that way, just howsoever that may work out.

Note added 30 October 2018:
Carson Mchone has signed to Loose Records for the UK and Europe. Carousel will be released on vinyl, CD and digital on 25 January 2019. She will be crossing the pond to tour it including an Americana UK festival date.