Christina Carter – Scorpiio Flower

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Artist: Christina Carter

Album: Scorpiio Flower (2004, Wholly Other)

Label:

Year: 2004

Genre: Folk

RIAA Radar Status: SAFE

Encoder:

Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz

Codec:

Avg Bit Rate: 192 kbps

Posted by: smallpaul

Description / Review:

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Track Listing

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[00/03] D + H Lounge 1-20-04 Part 1 (10:30) 192 kbps 14.51 MB

[00/03] D + H Lounge 1-20-04 Part 2 (8:36) 192 kbps 11.90 MB

[01/03] Sound Exchange 1-3-04 (20:17) 192 kbps 27.95 MB

Total number of files: 3

Total size of files: 54.37 MB

Total playing time: 39:23

Generated: Sunday, May 11, 2014 7:40:18 PM

Created with: #indie.torrents NFO Generator (Mac) v2.3b1

Album info

It’s been a good year for Christina Carter. The new Charalambides record, “Joy Shapes,” is one of the best albums I’ve heard in the first half of 2004. She’s got a fantastic summer tour lined up this summer with the always impressive Jack Rose. Most people would say that’s enough and not worry about doing much else. But most people aren’t the Carters. “Scorpiio Flower” is the latest solo release from Christina. It’s a self-released CD-R (and I believe it’s only available through Eclipse – I haven’t seen it elsewhere) with beautiful handmade sleeves.

First impressions are worth their weight in gold and on first glance at “Scorpiio Flower,” it looks personal and unassuming. The covers of “Scorpiio Flower” are each done by hand. Simple pencil drawings with words etched in aqua ink are all that grace the cover, but the fact that each one is different makes this feel like a personal gift from Christina to you. Inside, the track list is also scratched out by hand in what looks like a cornflower-blue crayon. The real prize, though, is the three paper squares with strings of seemingly random words. All of this by hand. One of the pieces of paper uses words like mystic, nervous, detonation, and surf. Most of these words can offer a glimpse of what the three tracks contained on the CD-R sound like.

The greatest development this year relating to Christina Carter is how free she sounds on the aforementioned “Joy Shapes.” Her voice is like a once-caged bird, finally allowed to venture out on its own. We all knew she had a beautiful voice, but who knew it was this powerful? Her voice is on display again on “Scorpiio Flower,” but it’s not the main attraction like it is on “Joy Shapes.” These three tracks are sobering, especially the first one. Over it’s 27 minutes, it feels like a personal exorcism. Using only an acoustic guitar and her voice intermittently, I feel like my soul is being torn from my body. Through the rest of the track, though, it’s like I am watching my soul fly through the air. It is a freedom rarely felt in music, but Carter owns it. Improvising on an acoustic guitar over half an hour is not an easy feat; it’s easy to get lost along the way. But there is not one moment through the first track that I feel like Carter isn’t being guided by something spiritual. It’s like she’s channeling the skeletons hidden in her closet, finally releasing them into the world. The greatest intensity comes when Carter opens her mouth and wails. Her voice is so beautiful that I can barely stand it. She’s done some brilliant solo work in the best, but nothing compares to this one track; it’s worth the cost of this CD-R alone.

Through the other two tracks, she uses an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one, and while they aren’t as mind-blowing as the first, they are excellent. The second track is somewhat darker than the first, but its effect is similar. The intensity rises and falls like the tides in the night, but at times Carter’s playing is overpowering. She holds the right notes for the perfect amount of time. It’s a rare talent to always know what to say and how exactly to say it.

One thing I’ve always admired about the Charalambides is how they make the space they’re recording in part of the actual recording. On their records, you can hear the room breathing; it has a life of its own that they rarely fail to capture. “Scorpiio Flower” is no exception. It’s especially evident on the first and third pieces where the open space give the songs warmth. Listening to these at high volumes, it’s impossible to not feel like you’re there. It’s really well done.

In an election year, the word freedom will get thrown around a lot. Most of the people using it don’t have any idea what it really means to be free. Christina Carter, on the other hand, is a living example of what a truly free soul is. These three pieces are like her personal diaries that document her explorations into her own psyche. We should all be grateful that she is willing to give us such an intimate glimpse. 8/10 — Brad Rose