Ours is a culture fueled by nostalgia. It seems that most of the innovations of this millennium are simply new methods of distributing content invented before the digital age. It's not a bad thing, just an odd thing, and one that can lead to creative reassembly of 20th century fragments. Carousel is one such collage. At its core, it draws from the pop and shoegaze of the early '90s; most songs on the record wouldn't sound out of place over nascent CGI or grainy home video loops. It's fitting that a band named Save The Clocktower would be time travelers, taking us back into a charmingly stylized version of our past.That's not to say there's nothing new here. Like Doc Brown, Save The Clocktower were scientists before they were adventure heroes, and there's plenty of textural experimentation to keep us engaged. "Drip" kicks off strong with heavy pulses and danceable beats overlaid with electronic aether that wouldn't sound out of place on a Caribou record. It swirls down into the jet engine guitars of "You Got Me," a catchy, hazy number influenced as much by My Bloody Valentine as it is by contemporaneous one hit wonders. The vocal quality feels more in the world of post-punk; syllables are short and strong, but melodic enough to keep interest.
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