A unique voice and sound - "the 40s war years" brought into
Steven I. Ramm | Phila, PA USA | 01/02/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
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To say Katy Carr's vocal arrangements are unique is an understatement. Kate Bush in her earlier recordings is the closest I can come to describing it. But Carr's themes are those of 1940s Europe during the war with tributes to Marlene Dietrich and Vera Lynn - more in their stories than in their style. But these aren't "pop songs" as we commonly think of them. There's an ethereal quality to them.
Hidden in the middle of the 12 tracks is the real gem: "Kommander's Car". This is a song with a unique story behind it. Carr based the song on the story of four Polish men who amazingly escaped Auschwitz using - yes! - the car belonging to the Kommander. She then located the sole survivor of the quartet and travelled to visit him in Poland. The result is a riviting - and important - 21-minute film by Carr and Hannah Lovell. (Go to Youtube and search for "Kommander's Car" and watch all three parts!). By itself the song's driving rhythm, is addictive but, after watching the film it will take on new meaning. As the subject of the documentary - Kazik Piechowski - says in the film "the words are hard to hear, but you can feel the tension". This is true of much of this album and I wish that the lyrics were included in the graphically beautiful insert to the CD. This would have increased the enjoyment many times over.
Carr's music is not folk and its not rock and its almost not "alternative" in the terms current use. It certainly is different and this is a CD filled with layers of styles.
Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"
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Track Listings (12) - Disc #1