THE CARNY

LAST.FM informs us: "THE CARNY is a rock band based in the city of Halmstad, on the sunny side of Sweden." Sunny? Well, with it being 12 degrees F. here in the Mitten at the moment, that sounds pretty good to me. Book my flight.

Now then... calling THE CARNY a "rock band" may be a bit of a stretch. "Indie pop" seems more their milieu. Sort of with a '60s/gypsy flair. This is one of those bands that seems to have way too many members to ever make much money. But -- like their fellow Swedes PINTO [see: HERE] -- THE CARNY don't seem to care about the cash.

I guess it's true what I've heard... the Swedes are not just a pretty people; they're rich. A Saab in every driveway; an eel in every pot; a flask of Absolut in every pocket. Now, I realize that Sweden is a socialist country, so I'm guessing that its citizens are therefore required by law to split their incomes equally amongst the masses. They were probably able to coast through the '70s and early '80s on BJORN BORG's winnings and ABBA royalties alone.

Despite the best efforts of ROXETTE, ACE OF BASE, and STEFAN EDBERG, the rest of the '80s must have been relatively lean times for the Swedish people. INGMAR BERGMAN got so depressed he stopped directing films. INGRID BERGMAN [no relation] got so depressed she just up and died. But then: a ray of light (not SUNlight, of course; they don't have sunlight in Sweden... just... um... windmills... and wooden shoes... and... um... frozen tulips).

No, the ray of light came in the form of a new and ingenious export: hockey players! By my careful calculations, the combined 2006 salaries of two NHL players alone -- PETER FORSBERG and NICKLAS LIDSTROM -- split evenly amongst the Swedish people, would net each man, woman, and child the tidy sum of $1.46. That translates to, approximately, 10 kronor (kronor are the currency Swedes use to purchase vodka and eels).

Anyway, all of this was to make the point that, because they are supported by the labors of their exported hockey players, the musicians of Sweden often find it unnecessary (even repugnant) to accept money for their musical endeavors. They practically throw the stuff away. The way that Americans throw away Canadian coins (no love for the loony). The way the English throw away the dental-hygiene care packages dropped daily by UN relief planes (fancy a floss?).

THE CARNY represent this type of careless, free-love sort of record distribution. At present, you can go to their website and download what looks to be pretty much everything they've ever recorded. Good stuff it is, too. Just click on "MUSIK." (Just because their rich and pretty does'nt mean they no how to speak n spell English good).

Did I mention that THE CARNY play indie pop music with a '60s/gypsy flair?

While wearing wooden shoes.

THE CARNY on MySPACE.

From the EP BABY BLUE, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Your Life Doesn't Do Your Living"

From the LP MONEY MAKES US, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Man Under the Sun"
[MP3] "Where the Daffodils Grow"

From the EP BESTSELLER, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Proud of Who I Am"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "This Christmas (If You Come Back)"