Carlo

Whether they’re described as throwbacks to a more innocent time in music—or so hip it hurts—Carlo is simply a great band. Drawing equally from surf rock, Link Wray, Ennio Morricone and Booker T & The MGs, the all-original Toronto/Ottawa instrumental combo has firmly embedded itself on the scene with a new self-titled album guaranteed to make any situation you’re in a lot cooler.

Carlo is comprised of guitarist James Taylor, keyboardist Kelsey McNulty, bassist Scott McCannell, and current drummer Justin Rupple. After releasing a debut EP in 2015, the band members pursued other projects out of the sheer joy they have writing and performing what could be termed a very specially form of rock and roll. Of course, that’s part of the challenge too, adding their distinctive slant to well-established sounds.

Carlo, the album, certainly achieves that, recorded live at Magnephonic Records in Ottawa, using analog tape and vintage microphones for the highest possible fidelity reproduction. The album was then mastered for vinyl by Precision Pressing using state of their state of the art technology. Such attention to detail is a crucial part of Carlo’s aesthetic although, as evidenced by the band’s enigmatic name, they don’t follow the rulebook to the letter.

Are the members of Carlo music geeks? Yes, but you don’t have to be to enjoy them.