Girl at the Rock Shows

The combination of folk, country, and rock music has been done repeatedly, yet it’s a grouping that will intrigue me every time. Although these three genres are very contrasting, the combination always makes for an excellent listen, but until you listen, you never quite know if a band will lean more into one genre than the others. Obviously, when ‘The Carousel’ from Backstrom hit my email with those three genres listed within the first line of the pitch, I wanted to know more, so buckle your seatbelts, folks, let’s jump into ‘The Carousel’ and see if Backstrom is more of a folksy leaning band, a country driven band, or just a rockin’ band with subtle influences of the other styles.

‘The Carousel’ opens with “Train Wreck Coming,” which definitely didn’t bring me the sound I expected. The truth is, I didn’t know what to expect, but the way the country-styled and deep vocals kick off this song with brilliant storytelling caught my attention. This song quickly turns into a folksy hootenanny of sorts with bright horns contrasting the deeper styled vocals and a chorus that instantly had me wanting to pull on my cowboy boots and start scootin’ around my house; I was hooked. I love how big the sound is in this opening track. It’s larger than life but isn’t in your face or aggressive. Instead, “Train Wreck Coming” ushers you into Backstrom’s world perfectly, and I can already tell that this is a world I never want to leave.

The mood quickly darkens as “It’s Too Late – Remix” takes over as the second song. Although I’m not sure what the original sounds like (or if there is an original), I loved the emotion that came through with every word in this song. Much like the vocals that kicked off “Train Wreck Coming,” there’s a sense of darkness, but this darkness comes with a heaviness attached to every phrase. A slow and steady song, there’s no shortage of emotion here and, when mixed with the lyrics, there’s no way to get through this four-and-a-half minute song without feeling something profound down to your soul.

Just when I was getting lost in my feelings, “Animal” snapped me back to life with an epic and beautiful violin introduction that leads into this very theatrical song. Out of everything I’ve heard thus far, this was a genuinely intriguing track. Everything has changed when it comes to Backstrom’s sound, yet you know it’s a Backstrom track. I’m not sure how that happens, but as I sat here trying to figure it out, I also found myself drifting deeper into another world. The theatrical nature of this song, mixed with the almost fantasy that the lyrics lay out for you, will indeed take away any stress or emotional pain you have going on right now. This song may be just over four minutes long, but it felt like it was over in the blink of an eye due to the journey this song takes you on.

The title track of ‘The Carousel’ seems to continue with that theatrical mood of “Animal” while bringing a new sense of swagger to the album. Now I understand the country-folk-rock influence. I wouldn’t call this a country track, but you definitely get a bit of that classic country swagger here. I wouldn’t call it a folk song, but you absolutely feel a folk element in the storytelling of the lyrics. I wouldn’t call it a rock n’ roll song, but it definitely has a sense of power. This song reminded me a bit of the music featured in True Blood. That’s a bit of a deep dive, especially since I feel like most of us have all but forgotten about that show, but that’s exactly what came to mind as I listened through this song.

As “The Traveler” took over my speakers, I finally realized just how lost I had become in this album. The timer on my oven indicated that it was time for me to put the frozen pizza in, but I couldn’t be bothered. I thought about it for one second as this fifth song took over my house but quickly forgot about it because, again, I was instantly entranced by everything about this track. Although this one didn’t stand out to me as much as some of the others, I found myself following every single word with my ears and imagination. About halfway through this song, I realized that I created a character in my mind for each of these songs and was watching them play through the story being sung to me. I know that you can’t get in my head and see these images and that maybe this album won’t have that same effect on you, but it struck me as ridiculously powerful and a sign of how brilliant this album has been.

“Ghost Of A Town” takes the theatrical nature of “Animal” and turns it more into an old-timey song. I don’t mean this song feels old because it doesn’t. But more that the storytelling transports you into a whole other time. There’s something simplistic about the instrumentation in this song that lends perfectly to the story yet I would be remiss not to mention the epic nature of the instrumentation that is there. It’s subtle and even soft at times yet it creates such an impact when paired with the heartbroken words passing by creating an tragic yet epic story.

You finally hear Backstrom clearly lean into more of a country them when it comes to “Winter Moon”. This song is warm and cozy with Backstrom’s signature display of pure emotion and slight darkness. This song isn’t dark through and through, as female vocals swirl around the signature darkness brilliantly. I don’t know if it’s just the fact that I’m mentally exhausted from the work week and everything else or if I’m just in a mood, but this song had me trying not to cry. I felt like the vocals in this song were being sung directly to me because they fit so perfectly. Add to that the coziness that this song brings, and you are left with a powerful piece of art that acts as a great escape if you’ve been holding your breath, waiting for a moment to exhale. I highly suggest listening to “Winter Moon” a few times before moving on. Seriously, get it all out. Let the tears flow, turn off the lights, and sit in darkness as the song comforts you. Nobody’s watching, but you have Backstrom there to keep you warm, and I think we all need more moments like the one this song provides in a world that, at times, can be so crazy and bleak.

After the emotional “Winter Moon” rollercoaster, “The Journey” comes off as a perfectly curated pic-me-up. It’s not a super upbeat song by any means, but there’s just something so optimistic and uplifting about the words in this song. It’s as if Backstrom knew the breakdown that would happen during “Winter Moon” and wanted to make sure he had an encouraging song to follow it up with. Although I love the lyrics throughout this album, the lyrics of “The Journey” seem to speak to me the most. I obviously won’t give it away, but this is a song I will keep in my back pocket for those rough days, and it is my all-time favorite of this album.

Although the final track on ‘The Carousel’ is titled “Darkness,” this song is far from dark. There’s something super bright about this, and it’s almost baroque in style. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but there’s an apparent classical influence in this song that I found super intriguing. Had this element been there the whole time, and I was just blinded by everything else happening in this album? I honestly don’t know, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I had to go back and listen to this journey all over again.

Folk, country, rock– I don’t care what you want to call this album. It’s just one of those records that is absolutely worth your time and attention because of it’s sheer brilliance.

My Favorite Track: “The Journey”

What My Cats Did While I Listened To This: Artie coughed up a hairball in the kitchen; Artie and Autumn slept upstairs; Cat jumped in and out of the Amazon box on the floor

Best Suited For Listening To While: Looking for an escape from the real world

Closest Comparisons I Can Think Of: Not even going to try on this one– just listen to it

Overall Score: 9.5 out of 10

Backstrom on Instagram

Backstrom on YouTube

Shameless Self Promotion:

Join My Patreon Here!

Buy Me a Coffee (Seriously!)

Check out my playlist with this track and a bunch of other amazing tracks HERE!