Carthage e.p. by Euclid

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(Tablet, Seattle)

"Somewhere halfway between the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and contemporary artists like Kasey Chambers, lies the beautiful music of Seattle's Euclid. I just recently picked up last summer's Carthage EP and am entranced by the eerie mood the band is able to set through their blend of folk music and alt. country.

(Mundane Sounds)

"Though it's a brief affair, it hints at a band who have quickly found their sound, and are simply improving on it. From the opening, scratchy "Little Dove," their agenda is set: old-timey country music. They take a few pages from the Tarnation songbook, and with a little band stability, have made a record that is dark yet delicate, powerful yet vulnerable.

Lacing the opening track with scratchy vinyl record pops and hisses, they've created a mental nostalga, making themselves seem quite older than they really are. Throw in the dueling siren-song vocals of Katrina Whitney and Renee Raiteri, and you'll soon find yourself in a dusty old honky-tonk. All of the songs have a dirty, wind-blown streets of frontier towns feel to them; that Euclid's singers sound not unlike Patsy Cline doesn't hurt their mystique, either.

While it could be argued that they're simply following the Tarnation formula, might I argue that such a formula was quite wonderful, even if Tarnation didn't survive it? Yeah, I'll argue that one. In fact, I think that they're better than Tarnation, and considering how highly I hold them, that is indeed saying something for this little band!"

(F5, Wichita)

"On this six-song EP, Seattle's Euclid go about creating an interesting, if sometimes eerie mix that brings together the music of Beth Orton, a touch of David Crosby (mostly his first solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name) and a pinch of Appalachia. Like Cowboy Junkies' The Trinity Sessions, Carthage is made mostly for late nights, for setting a mood rather than enhancing an already existing one."

(Americana UK)

"A self-consciously lo-fi old-timey work (even down to fake crackles and hisses), Euclids debut six track EP sits somewhere between "Oh Brother..." (if it had been made by David Lynch instead of the Coens) and the Cowboy Junkies seminal "Trinity Session". Neo-folk, Gothic American definitely seems to be the next big thing, and Euclid are definitely among its better purveyors."

(Original Sin, Germany)

"This neo-folk is perfectly played and its goth atmosphere brings them close to the area where bands like Faith & The Muse, Mila Mar or Deva Destruction are. But it's not goth alone as there is a sort of new-country style in it as well...a bit Cranberries-like even, but not easy pop songs nonetheless, more the kind of ethereal country pop as we know from Mojave 3 or Neko Case."

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