Green Carnation

The Quiet Offspring

The End Records

With Green Carnation's newest LP, they have decided to go with a more rockin' approach. Seemingly not content in staying on one train of musical thought, Tchort and crew jump all over the map. Long gone are the one-song tapestries that made this group one of the many "next-big-thing" crapshoots. With The Quiet Offspring, Continuing with the awkwardness that accompanied my listening after hearing A Blessing in Disguise, GC appear destined for the backlash from those who are not sure what to make of them anymore.

Avant-garde gets thrown around as an arbitrary adjective to describe the musical acts that are on the far side of normal. They are now kinda proggy, kinda Alice in Chains-like in the vocal harmony department, and unquestionably quirky, GC may have found themselves in what they want their musical identity to be, but for whatever reason, I'm feeling bored half-way through. There is noticeable care in the song structures, and Kjetil Nordhus is fabulous as a singer, but ultimately, the album has only a couple songs that really stick out for me.

Hit and miss unfortunately for me, but the verdict truly lies on your ears.

Chris Burnham