Robin Guthrie, Carousel

review by dave heaton

I could watch jellyfish all day long. I remember watching them in an aquarium for hours, watching them move. There’s a jellyfish in motion on the cover of Robin Guthrie’s Carousel, and the music sounds like my memories of a jellyfish in motion – moving slowly but beautifully, a wondrous moment. Carousel is full of wondrous moments, of instrumentals that capture the feeling of sunshine flickering, of awesome moments that pass quickly. These are soundscapes, would-be film scores, and lush pieces to zone out to or snooze (and have great dreams) by. But first and foremost I hear it as an album of pop songs. There are 10 songs on Carousel, none of them epics. They are built of layered sounds and melodies, yes, but they work like anthems, ballads and play-it-again tunes. The general sweep of the album is quick and pretty, with sorrow in the air sometimes, but mostly hope, expectation, and delight.

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