The debut album, All The Time In The World, by the Swedish musician Jonas Carping, garnered some critical acclaim a few years back in the underground music world followed by his second album, Cocktails & Gasoline.
Carping in the process of releasing a new album to be titled Into the Ocean, a seven-track album which Carping says was recorded over a three to four-year period.
“The recording is a live session, something I always been wanting to do,” he says. “It’s just me, the acoustic guitar and my pedalboard. It’s bare naked; honest and raw.”
Anguished vocals and buzzing guitars set the mood on Carping’s booming track, “The Last Approval,” which has a strong, almost throbbing, melodic vibe, that cannot possibly overshadow Carping’s prominent vocals. The chorus is a nice touch as well.
A bluesy/folksy atmosphere and ambling instrumentation mark the track, “Damn Old World,” featuring stark and painful vocals that altogether make for a beautifully tragic song.
“Peace of Mind” is introspective and powerful track despite its mellow singer/songwriter vibe and folk-inspired lyrics. The power, as with many of his songs, comes from Carping’s pained and mournful vocals.
The acoustic and folksy song, “You Move in a Different Way,” sounds much like an Irish/Scottish folk song. That is not surprising since, like many indie/DIY singer/songwriters, Carping pulls from many influences and styles.
If you’re in a gloomy mood on a dark, rainy day, and you want to lean into it, that may be the best time to listen to Carping’s songs. Melancholic music has its time and place, but it is not often accomplished at the skill level that Carping employs.
His style and sound are moody, contemplative, melancholic and generally dark. Other tracks are more aggressive and theatrical, such as “Sleepless Night Blues” and the similar-sounding, “Fragrance of the Past.”
On track after track, Carping displays the songwriting, vocal, and musical talents that have attracted support on his Bandcamp page and elsewhere. It’s also notable that these songs were recorded in a cabin in the Swedish wilderness.
“The aim was to preserve the essence in music-making when there are no distractions,” Carping writes.
“And to capture the vibe of the wilderness. But also to do so with the very best studio equipment. We came back with eleven new songs.”
Last summer he dropped a three-track single for a chilling cover of “Killer” with ringing guitars, smashing drums and Carping’s ominous and perfectly-matched vocals. The single is a cover of the original 1989 single from Seal and Adamski.
Other musicians contributing to the recording include: Martin Karlsson – Bass, Percussion, Guitar; Johan Norlund – Drums; Micke Petersson – Guitar; Sigrid “Snäckan” Nilsson – Vocals; Marika Dahlbäck – Cello, and produced by Amir Aly and Martin Karlsson and mastered by Björn Engelmann