Carter Brady – Shopping Cart
Nostalgia is a powerful feeling, and the 90s influenced music coming from Carter Brady harkens back to those halcyon days of JNCO jeans and Pogs. His latest offering is the 13 song Shopping Cart, a guitar-forward LP full of upbeat and sunny-dispositioned songs that are reminiscent of simpler times. When the topic of 90s rock comes up, dark and moody grunge-era bands typically come to mind – think Alice in Chains or Nirvana… But Brady doubles down on that sunshine-y, late-90s sound (think Third Eye Blind, Weezer, or lighter Foo Fighters fare) that thrives in its four-chord simplicity, allowing for earworm melodies and rhythms to develop. Expect Brady’s music to go down real easy – the kind of songs that you’d hear at a dive bar on a Friday night, when you’re a few drinks deep and ready to dance.
Brady kicks things off with “We’re Talking” – a great introduction to his sound and Shopping Cart as a whole. Brady’s not afraid to keep things simple-but-effective, doubling down on a nice, pop-minded chord progression with wide-open, crunchy guitars. Sparkly, driven leads flutter perfectly atop Brady’s chugging rhythm guitar, culminating in a fun guitar solo mid-song. Brady himself evokes 90s era Dave Grohl with his pleasant cadence and tasty melodies, especially on the Foo’s more pop-rock oriented singles – think “Big Me” or “Learn To Fly.” He continues this energy on song two, “Instead” – with it’s jangly, neurotic chord changes lifted by Brady’s digestible melodies, evokes the jazz and jam band background of his backing band, Sammy Wags, Michael Iaciofano, and Ryan Datino, who, along with Carter, often deviate from the set-in-stone recorded parts of the songs and add new ideas to his live show. If this is your speed, be sure to check out “Late Night Temptations” and “Grocery Store” that have that same, ear-catching jangle.
“Suppressed” gets our nod for album favorite, if not for it’s sugary-sweet melodies, then for it’s liberal use of the Big Muff fuzz pedal. Garnering comparisons to Smashing Pumpkins and Buffalo’s own Goo Goo Dolls is nothing to sneeze at, and when the giant, fuzzed-out guitar crashes in after an introspective intro, it’s goosebump inspiring, especially through a dimed car stereo. A close runner up goes to “See You In My Free Head” – although a lot of this album is full of uplifting sounds, Brady seems to really excel when he gets a little more introspective. The minor-sounding progression here is refreshing, and the repetitive chorus lyrics are instantly memorable, like you already know the song the first time you’re listening. The cascading backing chords make it easy to insert a blistering solo to great effect. Another contender is the meditative “Lost In This World,” with its splashes of shimmer effect (is that a Strymon Blue Sky or a Digitech Verbzilla guys?!); chunky palm muted rhythm guitars; and bubbling bassline.
While there is certainly lots to dig into here on Shopping Cart, the bread-and-butter of this release is Brady’s devotion to guitar-based songwriting through the lens of 1990s era sensibilities. “So Late” has the giant guitars and harmonized guitar leads that have brought Weezer so much success. “Go Home’s” crispy guitar work has the same downtuned, downstrummed guitar energy that has made “Everlong” such a beloved classic. Even the acoustic guitar-led “Invincible” smacks like a 90s power ballad, and could easily have been a Local H or Frank Black song in a parallel universe. Sometimes keeping it simple is the most effective way to make a big impact – Brady & co. seem to have that method down to a science.
Shopping Cart is available now (June 14, 2024). Check out the music video for “Go Home” via the YouTube embed below, or, add it to your Spotify playlist.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna