Carpenter – Sea to Sky

John Cougar inspired something truly awesome and by awesome I mean face melting, throat shattering, hand clapping, head banging, and super relatable great rock. They’re called Carpenter and their release,Sea to Sky, is 10 songs filled with the stuff that classic rock gods are made of; an album worth every second of your time plus some.

“Mean Things” kickstarts this album with lead vocalist, Daniel Sioui, belting out powerful lyrics of a love shattered over slow guitar that builds into a poppy, catchy melody sure enough to be turned into a powerful sing-a-long at Carpenter shows.

Carpenter cover everything an important rock band should. Whether it’s having female backing vocals to add a hint of beauty to the music (“Common Law”), a typical country song about heart break but better than the corny songs played on the radio (“Just Another Friday Night”), poppy hooks and thundering drum beats (“One Horse Town”), hard, fast, ass kicking songs that the punks will be sure to love (“Northern Exposure”, “Separate”), and of course, what every classic rock album needs, a memorable ballad that will be sung by drunken fans everywhere with no shame (“Joan”).

My only complaint on this album is the cheesy chant followed by a cheesy scream on “Long Hard Day” but it’s immediately made up for by a glorious guitar solo from Ryan Howlett.

Finally, this album closes with the best song on the album, “I Put My Heart in Everything”. This is where drummer, JJ Heath, shines because he controls the emotion of the song simply through his drums by keeping a fast tempo beat throughout the song but throwing a couple crazy solos your way during breakdowns of Sioui’s lyrical content.  “I put my heart in everything so put your soul in everything”. A line meant to inspire others to try their absolute best at everything to ensure satisfaction in the end. Not a bad role model, this here, Carpenter. John Cougar should be proud.