live @ Black Cat 7.27.2000
Most musicians who write soundtrack music usually compose songs about films that are already written. The For Carnation, who played a dynamic set at the Black Cat Thursday night, are one of the very few bands whose songs are so fully realized and executed that they can reverse that process: they play songs that should have movies made for them.
Carnation leader Brian McMahan was one the guiding members of much-imitated indie-rockers Slint, and of all that band’s original members, it is McMahan who has remained truest to the sound of that groundbreaking outfit. Thursday’s set nearly rivaled his former band’s thrilling highs.
McMahan, who activates the For Carnation moniker only sporadically, employs a revolving cast of players, and behind his keyboards, his five supporting musicians illuminated his compositions with samplers, guitar, bass and drums. The majority of the six-song set, which lasted just over an hour, was mostly drawn from the band’s recent eponymous recording, only its third since 1994 . “Tales” began with a whispery intro and swelled gradually behind a steady drum pulse until it became a crackly buzz that recalled English legends Spacemen 3. “Empowered Man Blues” followed a similar path, and the precision with which the group played belied its part-time status. McMahan, who remained seated behind his keyboard for the duration of the set, delivered his narrative “vocals”---really just a hoarse talk/whisper---with eyes-shut reverie, adding to the cinematic drama of songs like “Salo” and “Winter Lair” while all the while kindling a desire for MacMahan to make his Carnation a full-time occupation.
Washington Post, July 2000
