by Philip Moss

Running a recording studio can be an ‘around the clock’ job. And the chance to work on your own material can get lost in the blur of time, as you focus your energies into the work of others. But having been part of the team that runs Greenmount Studios in Leeds, Crake drummer, Rob Slater, has dived head first into the introspective on Burnt and Cold – using studio down time to his advantage for the first release from his new venture, Carpet.

Drawn back to the spirit that first allured him to four track, bedroom recording – alone and committing his ideas straight to tape – Slater’s first release as Carpet has all the lo-fi spits and splutters to suggest that his upcoming EP is a slacker classic in the making. His ear for arrangement sends your brain up the snakes , and down the ladders – when it feels like it should kick in, it doesn’t, and when it feels like Slater’s voice will launch into a yelp, it still doesn’t. But the beauty here is in the restraint, and this is a very exciting addition to the US-Alt (via Yorkshire) section of your local record store.

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