caroline

It makes perfect sense that UK-based eight-piece outfit caroline cite Talk Talk as a key influence for their second album. 'caroline 2' doesn't exactly sound like 'Laughing Stock' or 'Spirit of Eden', but there's a similar level of ambition - a desire to extend the boundaries of traditional rock music using whatever tools might be available. They write songs in the traditional sense - like their soaring collaboration with Caroline Polachek 'Tell me I never knew that' - but caroline inevitably twist the edges of their expansive arrangements, concealing smart references to 20th century minimalism, dream pop and folk behind a blur of ornate instrumentation, canny studio techniques and earworm hooks. It's hardly surprising they've already been named "one of Britain's greatest bands" by the Quietus earlier this year.