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CARPTREE

Neo-Prog • Sweden


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Carptree picture
Carptree biography
Founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1997

Lifeˇlong - adjective
lasting or continuing through all or much of one's life

Friendˇship - noun
1. the state of being a friend; association as friends: to value a person's friendship.
2. a friendly relation or intimacy.
3. friendly feeling or disposition.

The Swedish band Carptree are lifelong friends (Niclas Flinck and keyboardist Carl Westholm) who in 1997 decided 'to combine good, and sometimes catchy, melodies with more dramatic and progressive arrangements.' In 2001 they released their self-titled debut to some mixed reviews. Some felt that they were a talented band, but others felt they relied too heavily on programmed synths. Their follow-up of Superhero in 2003, however, was a bit more accessible and appealed to fans of Genesis and Fish-era Marillion alike, while flirting with spacier textures in the form of Porcupine Tree.

In 2005, Carptree took on a much darker tone with Man Made Machine. It still had that neo touch, but dabbled on what some have described as art rock. As with Superhero, No Future Orchestra (Ulf Edelönn, Stefan Fandén, Jejo Perkovic, Cia Backman, Jonas Waldefeldt) are brought in and lends a true feeling of a band.

2007 proved to be a pivotal year with the release of Insekt, with (again) the help of the No Future Orchestra. Additionally, Carptree played their first ever gig together as a band at ROSFest 2007, which surely opened them up to an even bigger audience.

Eric Walker

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CARPTREE discography


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CARPTREE top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.15 | 67 ratings
Carptree
2001
3.58 | 93 ratings
Superhero
2003
3.67 | 131 ratings
Man Made Machine
2005
3.57 | 86 ratings
Insekt
2007
3.78 | 130 ratings
Nymf
2010
3.79 | 84 ratings
Emerger
2017
3.95 | 83 ratings
Subimago
2018

CARPTREE Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

CARPTREE Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

CARPTREE Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

CARPTREE Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.71 | 7 ratings
Between Extremes
2016

CARPTREE Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Superhero by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2003
3.58 | 93 ratings

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Superhero
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by Idaho

4 stars Carptree's "Superhero" is a great album. Unique neo-prog, piano-driven, with good vocals and and an addictive sound. There are some similarities to Peter Gabriel, but this is most definitely not a Peter Gabriel clone. Lots of calm, soft passages, occasionally interrupted with moments of brilliant intensity. Carptree has perfected the art of timing and urgency in their songwriting and delivery.

It's exciting to see the potential Carptree showed in their first album be fully realized here on their sophomore release. Favorites include "Calm Sea of their Pupils," and "Flesh." Highly recommended for neo-prog fans who are looking for something just a little bit different. 4.5 stars.

 Carptree by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2001
3.15 | 67 ratings

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Carptree
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by Idaho

3 stars Pretty sure Sweden has more good prog bands per capita than any other country. Carptree definitely belongs on that list. They make some excellent neo-prog.

Their self-titled album is their first, and it shows. They spent more than two-and-a-half years recording, mixing, and mastering this, and from the very short liner notes it appears it was likely recorded in a garage or home studio. I wish the liner notes included the lyrics.

Given those limitations, then, it's a wonder that this first album is as good as it is. Their sound is a bit more basic here than on later albums, but much of it has a sense of urgency that's found in some of the best neo-prog. Peter Gabriel was likely an influence, but I also hear hints of Fish's solo career. Flinck's vocals are good and definitely sound like neo- prog vocals, the music is relatively simple but still enjoyable. It's about as progressive as Peter Gabriel's solo work.

If you're new to Carptree, don't start here. Their later albums are better. Still, this is a good initial work, and it's a nice relaxing listen after a long day. 3.5 stars.

 Emerger by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2017
3.79 | 84 ratings

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Emerger
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by Zoltanxvamos

4 stars If Seals and Crofts were singers for a prog band, and they were trying to sound like a metal version of Genesis, that would be Carptree. I do like the formula of this album, the songs that seem to impress me most are "The Fleeting Deep", "The River", "Porous", and "Immersive Attention". The loud mellotrons, a bunch of really well produced and well engineered guitars. Everything on this album is very well mixed and well produced, the only problem is that half of the material found on the album isn't very compelling. The vocals have a clashing issue with the keyboards, I think it's the nasally tone of the vocals that cut through the keys which can make the sound quality degrade just a tiny bit. It is just a minor mixing issue in "Immersive Attention", other than that the album sounds very well recorded. "Ultimately Lifeless" is kind of a typical prog song, typical chord structure, typical song structure, and the lyrics aren't exactly unique. I do like the song but overall it's not great. "Between Extremes" is a great song as well, it's not among the best on the album. I think that the mix is great, the production is good here too. The songwriting is pretty good here, and the chord progression is grabbing to the ear. So I do think that this album is pretty good, but it's no masterpiece. Carptree is a good band but they are yet to release an album that I can give a 5 star review.
 Subimago by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.95 | 83 ratings

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Subimago
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

5 stars I first came across the duo of Nicklas Flinck and Carl Westholm with the release of their second album, 'Superhero', back in 2003. But although I also heard 'Man Made Machine' in 2005 it wasn't until 2018 that I finally heard the next two albums. But after 2010's 'Nymf' the band took a break, only coming back in 2017 to produce 'Emerger' (which I have yet to hear). There was so much energy coming out of the sessions that the day after the release party they were back in the studio, and 'Subimago' is the result of that. Looking back at my reviews from 15 years ago, I stated they were very influenced by Floyd but my review of 'Nymf' said just how much they had changed, and this is a direct continuation. This is modern melodic progressive rock with some keyboard sounds dragging it firmly back into the Seventies, yet with wonderful hooks and harmonies which makes one also think very much of the Nineties.

There is a lot of guitar at times, but also plenty of keyboards, and this is very much a rock album with wonderful vocals which is both instantly enjoyable as well as demanding further listening. The sheer accessibility of this is a delight, and the more one plays it the more there is to discover as there are hidden depths which take time to uncover and unpeel. IQ, Jadis, Flower Kings, Anekdoten, Galahad and so many others have imparted some influences into Carptree yet at the same time they are quite unlike any of them. The nature of being a duo, combining with NFO (No future Orchestra, who have the same personnel as last time) is very different to others. Combining this with focus on analogue instruments and amplifiers together with an analogue master results in a warm, organic and highly diversified album with a detailed texture. Let's hope the momentum continues as we all need to hear more music from these guys

 Subimago by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.95 | 83 ratings

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Subimago
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by proghaven

4 stars These two guys are, let's say, quite far from being too young, and they call themselves old-fashioned (in email communication). And their music is designed as a sort of prog retro if you like. But they aren't progsters of the left generation, not at all. They are not 'living in the past'. Their native time is 21st century, and Swedish prog duo Carptree is its peer. Though yes, Carptree's albums, at least starting with Insekt, have some features aligning their music to the so- called 'old English prog' school (early Uriah Heep, Cressida, early Beggars Opera). On the other hand, Carptree has parallels with the 1990s-2010s Swedish scene (Beardfish, Zello, even Anglagard and Anekdoten in some respects). But apart from that, their melody making and arrangement technique has some very individual features that have no precedent either in current or past prog music. In other words, Carptree performs old-fashioned progressive rock which is based on hoary antiquity (1969-1972) and leads to future.

Carptree's music has one interesting peculiarity: every new album makes very strong first impression. When I first listened to Emerger, I had no doubts that it's their best. Now the same story repeats with Subimago. But I already know what's to occur after multiple listening: I'll be convinced once again that for now, their magnum opus, after all, is still Nymf. Nevertheless, Subimago is an excellent prog album consisting of almost equally well done tracks, with no obvious highlights and no failures.

A few words about Carptree's musical style, if I may. Undoubtedly it's not neo prog. Dears, just as a reminder, Martin Orford hates the term 'neo prog', and this is not for nothing! If we classify (for example) Jadis as 'neo prog', we have to invent a different term not only for Carptree, but even for Ziff or Last Turion. As for Carptree, yes their first three albums have some common ground with Pendragon/IQ/Jadis-type music. But since late 2000s, Carptree performs fundamental prog that may be called - as our mood hits! - 'symphonic' (if not 'operatic' from time to time!), or 'dark', or 'hard'... though no, rather solemn than hard. This tendency (to solemnity) started with Insekt and seriously developed with Nymf. Now, with Subimago, it probably reached its apogee. Surely there's a reason to consider Carptree a prog artist with interesting past, magnificent present and bright future.

 Nymf by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2010
3.78 | 130 ratings

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Nymf
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars The first four albums were all released two years apart, but it took three years for the fifth to see the light of day, and what wasn't understood at the time was that this would be the last album until a return some seven years later with 2017's 'Emerger'. Edelönn, Fandén and Perkovic were all still involved alongside the duo of Flinck and Westholm, but there had been a musical shift between this album and the previous ones. There is now a bleakness, almost a desperation, while the music has also become heavier and more symphonic. There is definitely the feeling that the band has become much more of a quintet than just a duo, and while the orchestral feel from the earlier albums is still here, this is a band starting to move away from what they had been doing.

Between this album and the previous one, Westholm had released a couple of albums under the name of Jupiter Society, which were musically very different to Carptree and there is no doubt that at this point this band were moving into a much rockier direction than they had previously. Carl was to become heavily involved in HM acts, including the mighty Candlemass, and although this could never be thought of as a heavy album, it is indeed a step change from what had happened before. Niclas has a voice that I have seen compared to Hogarth, but in fairness to both of them he is much more like Gabriel, and while he has always seemed at home in the gentler material, when given the opportunity to put himself more to the fore, as on the dynamically changing and challenging "Land of Plenty" he relishes the opportunity.

Of the four albums I have heard from Carptree this is definitely the most diverse in its approach, while also the most interesting. I may be behind the times, but I am so glad that this 2010 album has finally come my way.

 Insekt by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2007
3.57 | 86 ratings

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Insekt
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars Although I really enjoyed Carptree's second and third albums, I somehow lost touch with what happened after that, and it is only now that I have heard their third album, 'Insekt', which was released in 2007. As with their earlier albums, the band is still a duo of singer Niclas Flinck together with keyboard player Carl Westholm, plus a few guests. Ulf Edel'nn (guitars, bass), Stefan Fand'n (guitars, bass) and drummer Jejo Perkovic were all involved with the previous few albums as well, while Edel'nn goes all the way back to the debut, so although these three may not be seen as being full members there is no doubting there impact on the overall sound and the knowledge of what is required.

The No Future Orchestra, which first appeared on 2003's 'Superhero', and continued through 'Man Made Machine' is still here on 'Insekt', while the use of the Trollh'ttan Chamber Choir on a couple of songs is inspired. This all assists in providing Carptree with a sound that really is quite unlike many others around. There will always be some who feel that the guys belong in neo-prog, but in reality they mixing the likes of Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel together, while interestingly one can hear later period Big Big Train in what they are providing here, but of course 'Insekt' was released more than ten years ago so who influenced who? It may have taken me way too long to finally hear this album, but I am so glad that I have, as this is yet another great release from the Swedish duo.

 Man Made Machine by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.67 | 131 ratings

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Man Made Machine
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars Carptree are a Swedish duo comprising Niclas Flinck on lead vocals and Carl Westholm supplying piano, synthesizer, vocoder, and Theremin. They are joined by various unnamed guest musicians to provide the sound of a full band, and this is a band that definitely sounds very full indeed. They go from beautifully delicate passages (such as on opener 'Titans Clash Aggressively To Keep An Even Score' ' what a great proggy title) through almost lounge core on 'Sunshine Water' to areas that are far more dramatic and powerful. At times they remind me of Floyd but that is not really a fair comparison as Niclas's vocals are far more melodic and warm. Easily their best work to date 'Man Made Machine' is an essential discovery for all progheads.

Originally appeared in Feedback #85, Nov 2005

 Emerger by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2017
3.79 | 84 ratings

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Emerger
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by rdtprog
Special Collaborator Heavy, RPI, Symph, JR/F Canterbury Teams

4 stars I discovered the duo Niclas Flinck and Carl Westholm with the album "Superhero" and I enjoyed it enough to continue following the band's music. The duo is playing with others musicians (No Future Orchestra). The music still has a Neo-Prog influence but there is more than that. And I think their sound have matured here with some emotional atmosphere and brilliant arrangments. The distinctive voice of Niclas is very intense and emotional as the music that contains a lot of symphonic tones. "Fleeting Deep" is a strong opener with his edgy prog with those nice keyboards lines. The band has the knack to create some strong melodies, the second track "Between Extremes" is another her good example and display some heavier guitar parts. "The River" stars innocently with some ambient atmosphere but after a break, the song succeeds to build an emotional crescendo. If you enjoyed beautiful songs filled with a little melancholic feel and music that is very melodic, you will enjoy this one.
 Carptree by CARPTREE album cover Studio Album, 2001
3.15 | 67 ratings

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Carptree
Carptree Neo-Prog

Review by ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer

2 stars Huuum. What to say about this album ?

Not too much, I am afraid. The Swedish scene offered more to the Symphonic/Eclectic genre than theNeo scene. And when you listen to this album, you know exactly that you are not in front of a great work.

Actually, there are no outstanding tracks out here?Influences are difficult to describe, and according to me there are none. A boring tune as ''Give Myself Away'' is just a press next tune as there are so many on this album. It is a difficult exercise to find a highlight on this album.

Some easy listenting tunes like ''It Doesn't Know It'' is probably on the higher edge of this rather weak album. Not because of its great instrumental parts, but only due to some (short) catchy vocals.

This poppish album has really little to offer in terms of prog. The whole is a junk of poor tunes which are really of no interest although the second highlight is the sweet and melodic (somewhat mellow though) ''Looking For Something''as well as the good closing number ''Tiny Salty Drops''.

This whole album is rater difficult to diggest. I was only happy to reach the end of it after almost one hour of very average music? Two stars, no more.

Thanks to Eric Walker for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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