caroline – caroline 2 Review

In the fluster of a sudden heatwave, what information was gathered about caroline 2 is lost in the flood of sweat. Between gasping for air not contaminated by warmth and tilting a barely whirring, metal fan upright, it is hard to focus. But what comes of this fight with nature is the need for escapism. Nobody is doing it better than caroline, the eight-piece return with a bolder sound, a bigger idea of where they stand in music history. They have managed to blur the fine line between choosing those popular, buzzing tones with a Caroline Polacheck performance and the artistic dedication to making such a huge collaboration make sense. Caroline and caroline and caroline 2, it is all worth experiencing as these eight new tracks cement the group’s quality but also engage new listeners who may not be aware of the raw power the collective has right now.  

Adding depth to caroline is not all the band needed to do to follow up their self-titled debut. Their Windmill Farm scene and the restraint heard in those jams, the flow of improvisational spirit and emotion defines the group. This remains for caroline 2, a delightful continuation for those who fell in love with those clattering, at-odds instrumentals and the ghostly voices of a song like Natural Death. Their pursuit of a deeper sound is a success. That much is clear from opening song Total Euphoria, a play on the intensity, the excitement. With this passionate happiness comes a creeping anxiety, a sense of this feeling as a temporary moment, rather than a continuing mood. A back-and-forth between straightforward vocal performances and the spirited instrumental thrill gives Total Euphoria this feeling. It is a feeling caroline maintains well throughout their second album. Those moments where expectation runs free and yet does not match up to reality, those are the harsh realities caroline 2 observes. 

Polacheck-featuring Tell Me I Never Knew That is exactly how a collaboration should appear. A huge name which does not overwhelm the project. The instrumental beauties, the dissonance created by the eight-piece and the thrilling vocal additions from Polacheck are what they should be. They inform the instruments; they do not overwhelm them. What separates caroline from the rest of the Windmill Scene is the origins, the roots which are now drying up and picked apart by a band not looking for new purpose but reacting to the dissipation of optimism. When I Get Home and U R Ur Only Aching is a double bill of this exceptional blend, the hopes for a future and the reality of not having one as individuals. Search for that glimmer of hope on top of creaking floorboards, on the folk-like reliance which kicks in at the back end of caroline 2.  

Experimentation with familiar tones is what caroline offers here, though to some new extremes. Two Riders Down has less volume than the first but more control. Applaud exploration. Where it may not amount to the blistering debut thrills of their first album, caroline 2 offers a continuation, a considered and respectable effort to always search for what feels individual. This overwhelming feel of dissatisfaction grows and grows; exploration and reflection are our ways through the rough times. Album closer Beautiful Ending is as its title suggests, a magnificent way to close out what is a tremendous experience if you open your heart to change, to where music can take the listener and artist. We are as much apart of this ride as the band is, their heavier tones soothed by the string additions, the soft plucking of acoustic guitar. Balance is key, and caroline 2 gets it just right.