This is the first track from our forthcoming CD. You can preview the full song here, and if you like it, download it, free!

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Monday Machines website:
http://www.mondaymachines.com

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You do not like green carrot jam?

I do not like it, Sam-I-am.

Could you, would you, out of jars?
I would not, could not, out of jars!
Would you, could you, with guitars?
I could not, would not, with guitars.

I will not listen, not with drums
I will not, not with fingers, thumbs,
Not lowered, raised, before or next!
Not even phased! Not echoplexed!
I do not like it with a plate.
I do not like it early, late,
I do not like it with delay.
I do not like it any way.
I do not like it fast or slow.
I do not like it, no, no, no!

I do not like green carrot jam.

I do not like it, Sam-I-am.

You do not like it.
So you say.
Try it! Try it!
And you may.
Try it, and you may, I say.

Sam! If you will let me be, I will try it. You will see.

Say! I like green carrot jam!
I do! I like it, Sam-I-am!
And I would listen with no words!
A fuzzbox and some major thirds…
And I will listen all the time.
Even if it doesn’t rhyme.
Any tempo, any key!
It is so good, so good, you see!

The Green Carrot Jam EP goes on sale October 31st at midnight, GMT.

There are an extremely limited number of CD copies available. Each black vinyl replica CD is packaged in a mini record sleeve, and comes in a hand-made organza bag containing a small strip of photos. CDs are £3.75 plus postage [ click to order ], or if you prefer, get the download for £2.00.

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Starker Beginn. Mit den ersten drei Tracks ihres Albums „Perpetual motion“ gelingt Cary Grace ein nahezu perfekter Einstieg. „The scarab“ ist eine wunderbar getragene Singer/Songwriter Nummer, die mit toller Melodie und der charmanten Stimme von Cary Grace sofort im Ohr hängen bleibt. „Between the pages I” nimmt floydiges Flair auf, begeistert zudem durch analoge Synthiesounds, ist nach knapp 2 Minuten leider schon wieder vorbei. Doch von diesem Stück gibt es noch drei weitere Parts, die als Überleitungen quer über das Doppelalbum verteilt sind. Das auf der ersten CD nach „Between the pages I“ folgende Instrumental „Cassiopeia, 1572“

bringt es dafür auf über 13 Minuten. Von der Stimmung her locker und freier, dafür mit stimmiger Psychedelic Atmosphäre versehen und von ausladenden verspielt-verträumten Tastenklängen, sowie flirren Gitarrenlinien geprägt.

Auf der anderen Seite tobt sich die in England lebende Künstlerin mit ihren Mitmusikern in ausgedehnten, ebenfalls psychedelisch geprägten, oftmals improvisierten Monster Jams aus, die es zuweilen auf über 20 Minuten bringen. Hier geht dann zwar leider mitunter etwas der rote Faden verloren, da man nicht immer eine spannende Linie und Songentwicklung findet. Doch die zuweilen fast schon krautig-monoton anmutenden Song Monolithen erreichen in ihren stimmigen Momenten eine überaus faszinierende Dichte, die gerade durch ihren inhaltlichen Minimalismus und die Stimme von Cary Grace überzeugen kann.

„Perpetual motion“ ist somit nicht nur ein Doppelalbum mit zwei CDs, sondern ebenso zwei musikalischen Seiten. Dabei muss man sich Zeit für dies vor allem sehr stimmungsvolle Werk nehmen, wird dafür mit recht viel analogen Tastenklänge und einer geradezu hypnotischen Atmosphäre und langen Psychedelic Instrumentalparts belohnt. Ein Vorbeischauen bzw. -hören auf der Website von Cary Grace lohnt sich allemal. 

—Kristian Selm (Originally published in Progressive Newsletter, Issue 66)

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I get lost pigeonholing stuff to achieve some sort of shorthand, so I’m loathe to throw around words like “prog” and “art-rock” (isn’t it all art? In one way …) if only for the baggage those terms carry. Let’s just say spacey.

There’s a lot going on in here. I can hear a lot of influences and touchstones, but not once does it sound like aping another band, or going into it sarcastically, or with that dreaded hipster irony. I can hear some Floyd in here, circa ‘Animals’ maybe. Especially in some of the production and how things are layered. I can pick up Hawkwind-like flourishes floating around, especially in some of the accents; the beeps and bloops and blips and washes remind me of how Hawkwind would use them (when they did so judiciously), the amount of them (again, see “judiciously”). But the execution is more like small doses of Can or some other Krautrock allies; more of a color, more of a wash. And the use of the violin points to the influences as well; Gong, Hawkwind again, Crimson … it may not sound LIKE them, but it breathes much of the same air (when there is air out in space). It’s a nod to the past with eyes looking ahead; it’s not all old school as the kids say. Contemporaries that come to mind might be of the ilk of 7% Solution, Uni-sex or even the stretched out Escapade.

Underneath all this though, is a gorgeous ragged slow burn (Hey! Like the Tadpoles again!). It’s not lo-fi by any means, but you can tell this is coming from the garage so to speak. Or maybe a room off to the side, a room specially built with a lot of care. And it’s great to hear music like this coming out not overly polished and refined so all the nice burrs are burnished off. Conversely, it’s fantastic to have something out of the garage that’s not just another White Stripes or Stooges or … “garage” mock job. You can do a lot in the garage, more than just pump up the octane and polish chrome. And this quality doesn’t mean low budget either. This is obviously very nurtured and coaxed. But Grace left in some rough hewn edges that really bring it all together: it’s what the band wanted. Bands like Swell or Grandaddy (obvious examples for me …) had a decidedly junkyard-art approach. And it was conscious and on purpose. That “lo-fi” patina was aimed for and spun and spun until it was clear that the production was an obvious choice made to achieve that signature sound. And “Perpetual Motion” benefits the same way. Now, I don’t know Cary Grace, or the story behind all the recording. Maybe given a budget the size of Wal-Mart’s economy she would have opted for some overblown bloat and helped to add to the sad reputation that prog has, or music like this … whatever you want to call it, or have to call it to make it make sense. But I doubt it. It’s not a by-product of home built studios, or shaky recording environs. It’s purposeful and works with all the other planets in tandem to reach it’s sweet end orbit.

And Ms. Grace lets many of the tracks take their time to reach that end point. She’s not afraid to let the sonics really stretch out, to let the bubbling slow riffs and melodies play out to one of many possible conclusions. In a way, she kind of leaves a lot of it up to YOU; if you want to that big planet caravan impact, you have to go with it and enjoy the ride and don’t think about it … too hard at least. If you do, you’ll miss some things.

All this comes to you via download. Pshaw—buy the disc. It comes in a lovingly made pack; simple but elegant and just cool. You can poke around carygrace.com and see a shot of the bundle if that floats your boat. It sure floats mine.

Why? Because she obviously cares. If she didn’t let us peek into that a bit, why should we care?

“Perpetual Motion” was a stellar find (thanks to the New Breakfast Snob at WRIR for turning me on to it) in lots of ways. It’s home-spun all right. It’s home-made I guess you could say, from that ragged edge to the hand-made limited edition packaging. But it has its eyes and ears on much bigger things. Maybe a new planet.

Ok. I have to do it. And I’m sorry. It’s downright graceful, too. It really is.

I usually let things cook for awhile longer before I get on a soapbox about them, pro or con. But this one didn’t need to simmer very long. As soon as I put it on and gave it a maiden voyage spin, it was pretty clear that Cary Grace already let this simmer for just the right amount of time. It arrived fully baked out of the oven.

~ by Kevin on September 20, 2009. (Originally posted here)

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Also, be sure and check out Radio Rock UK’s radio stream if you’re into great British progressive rock from the 70s.

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