Extreme Shoegazing

Carpet Brings the Noise to a Vibrant Scene

Fringe ArtsAlex Giardini — Published March 6, 2012

It’s always a race for pro music writers and bloggers alike to pen the next micro-genre tagline, to the extent where the actual practice of listening can get a little sidelined. For Montreal-based Carpet, they are content knowing who they are, bringing an innovative spin to the shoegaze table.

“I first played around calling the music “carpetgaze;” carpet being under the shoes, I just wanted it to be extreme shoegazing. Then again, from one song to another, we kind of developed a style that could qualify as stoner, lo-fi or chillwave because of our hypnotizing riffs and cheap recording techniques,” said Carpet’s Guillaume Archambault.

Call them what you will, but Carpet’s feedback-heavy lo-fi drones, minimal percussion and hidden pop melodies should not be over-analyzed. Because it’s the sum of the parts that’s important here, not necessarily all-to-hyped bedroom recording methods.

“Let’s just say Carpet is the easiest way to express ourselves,” said Archambault. “Some of the goals behind this project have been to write heavy songs with a ukulele, to learn how the recording world works and to step away from my drummer reputation. It’s also the best way to spend time with friends.”

Initially started as a solo project, Carpet has brought along former members of Montreal acts such as The Sainte Catherines, The Expectorated Sequence and Royaume des Morts to name a few. Along with Archambault, five musicians complete the band and together will bring the “extreme shoegaze” vibes for their first show on Thursday.

The hypnotic sounds are correspondingly bright and authentic, making music out of simple instruments, disregarding customary practices found in a four-piece band.

Being a relatively new band (albeit with three records for download on bandcamp), Thursday marks the first attempt of translating their studio tricks to the stage.

“We’ve worked really hard in the past months to reproduce the sound of the recording in a live setting. Since all the songs were recorded using low-cost instruments like a $25 dollar ukulele or shoebox bass drum, I guess you could say that we upgraded our gear to make sure the upcoming concerts do not turn out to be a joke.”

The significance to their sound is not to dazzle or impress but more so to galvanize. While recording formulas can often yield a far different picture than a live show, Archambault hopes the songs remains the same—that the pop hooks buried in noise come across just as well onstage.

Carpet / March 8 / Atomic Café (3606 Ontario Rd. E.)