The captivating self-titled album from The Carrie Armitage Quartet is a tour-de-force in rock fusion creativity. The release marks the full-length debut from the Toronto-based act, formed by Armitage following four solo artist releases; a desire to “bring new energy into my work” prompted the new quartet, per Armitage. The result brings forth some very talented collaborators, for an album that achieves an enthralling command across its various soundscapes and consistently grooving infectiousness.
Among the many standouts, “The Dreaming Light” exhibits a range from tonal directions successfully — from stately piano-laden bounciness into a comforting array of brassy brightness, courtesy of special guests Ron Parker (trombone) and Ira Zingraff (trumpet). Triumphant guitar tones and strumming acoustics meld cohesively alongside, as do wordless vocal injections.
“Figments” also compels in these vocal implementations, this time set against nocturnal, bluesy guitar additions. Dexterous rhythms lead on the funk-tinged “Long Shadows,” excelling into eerie keys and nostalgic guitar glimpses. The Carrie Armitage Quartet captivate across this fantastic full-length.
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“Ambient Orbit” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Obscure Ambient’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
