The Carrots

That Girl-Group Sound

originally published June 4, 2008

In the 21st century, audiences of all media have become so accustomed to irony, in-jokes and cynicism that there’s an instant, almost reflexive, suspicion and judgment that is cast upon things that are, for the most part, pure at heart. A potential object of this jaundiced view would be Austin, TX band The Carrots, who operate via the classic sounds of 1960s girl-vocal groups. Containing members from four bands who sound nothing like The Carrots (Finally Punk, Yellow Fever, Gene Defcon and The Old Timerz) the band augments its sound with matching outfits and a keen eye toward visual style. In short, The Carrots come off as a complete package.

That said, though, it’s hard not to wonder exactly what the intentions and goals of the group are. In many ways the groups they are inspired by (The Ronettes, The Supremes, etc.) were as manufactured by production teams and stylists as The Monkees. Still, each of those groups also recorded several nearly flawless tracks that served alternately as contemporaneous commentary as well as timeless musing on the human condition. The honesty of their sentiment was conveyed through the strength of their performances. Hopefully, it is thus with The Carrots. Sure, this band will never be as important as any of the groups mentioned (nor do they, really, have any pretensions of such), but that doesn’t make what they’re doing any less honest or any more deserving of mockery. If anything, their pursuit of purity of sound and emotion via the recognizable language of vocal harmonies and danceable rhythms seems exceedingly heart-based considering it’s a sound each has pursued as an aside to their other projects. It seems mistaken, though, to label The Carrots a “side project” as they’ve kept very busy since forming in 2005.

Composed of members Jennifer Moore, Chris Lyons, Jason Pittman, Erin Budd, Veronica Ortuño, Stephanie Chan, Shelley McKann and Lace Durant, The Carrots enjoyed early praise in their native Texas and will have released two singles this year alone by the time they come to Athens. The pair of 7”s come courtesy of Spain’s leading indie-pop enthusiasts Elefant Records. The songs, melodies and instrumentation are unmistakably culled from an aesthetic born in the mid-'60s, but sonically resemble any number of non-distorted, indie-pop records. That’s no insult, however, it just means The Carrots only used the tools available to them. Were the band to have the opportunity to record with, say, a producer like Phil Spector or Don Kirshner, they would sound as lush as any of the previously mentioned hit makers.

Specifically, The Carrots are the most interesting when you remember how much of their influences were the opposite of lighthearted. For example, the track “Kissing and Telling” pulls out a minor chord melody and chorus breakdown that declares, “You just keep me hanging around/ and, baby, I’m tired.” Similarly, the sometimes funny (but often not) “Jimmy Don’t Cry” attempts to play against itself by making lighthearted declarations of shared post-mortem, celestial love (so long as Jimmy doesn’t go with “that girl Christina”), but the song's opening line of “The day I died you were by my side/ You held my hand and began to cry/ Jimmy Don’t’ Cry/…Goodbye” reveals a heavier, real-world emotion.

Attempts to reach The Carrots for this story were unsuccessful, and perhaps it’s best that way. The songs can speak for themselves, and it’s much more desirable to have them do so. Sure, getting the songwriters to explain something might be more akin to normal storytelling, or “journalism,” or what have you, but the history of pop music is one filled with dreams and personal interpretation. That The Carrots' songs evoke such activity is a testament to both their honesty as a group and the power of pop music as a medium.

Gordon Lamb

WHO: Quiet Hooves, The Carrots, Casper and the Cookies
WHERE: Little Kings Shuffle Club
WHEN: Wednesday, June 4
HOW MUCH: TBA