I’m not really a Rush fan, but I gotta say, it takes some giant gonads to effectively name your album 2112 + 1. Then again, the official explanation from these Pittsburgh rockers is that 2113 is actually their house number. And hey, Carousel don’t sound much like Rush, anyways… unless you go all the way back to 1974.
That’s right, this outfit plays 70’s style riff-rock that sounds right at home on Tee Pee Records—this is, in fact, their second release for the label. Of note, lead axeman Matt Goldsborough has been a hired hand for both The Skull and Pentagram, which explains why the album opens with a tune called “Trouble” and ends with “Turn to Stone,” although neither is particularly doomy. Elsewhere, “Photograph” contains more wah than an Electric Magma jam sesh, while “Jim’s Song” sounds like a cross between Fu Manchu and Mothership and “Highway Strut” brings Vancouver retro rockers La Chinga to mind.
Although “2113” is nearly eight minutes long, it’s actually a drawn-out, bluesy number somewhat akin to AC/DC’s “Night Prowler,” albeit with a more upbeat chorus complete with dual British metal leads. And sure enough, it seems to be about a shithole. No priests anywhere near here. Hell, the midway interlude reminds me more of Triumph…
