Marc Carroll

Former member of Puppy Love Bomb and The Hormones; branched out on his own in 2000

About Marc Carroll

Bio from Marc's MySpace page

b. Dublin, Ireland. Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marc Carroll made an immediate impact with the release of his 2002 solo debut Ten Of Swords, an album that demonstrated his mastery of a number of styles and unerring nose for a fine melody line.

Raised in Ireland, he spent most of his time moving between London and Dublin on the fringes of success with first Puppy Love Bomb (Rough Trade) and then pop rock outfit the Hormones (V2/Virgin). Despite making a guest appearance on an episode of top US sitcom Friends (the one featuring the wedding of Ross), the Hormones never managed to make the breakthrough their charming hook-laden pop deserved. A 2CD, 28 track anthology was released in Japan on the Excellent label in 2002 which shone further light on his songwriting capabilities.

Carroll branched out on his own at the start of the new millennium. Signing to Universal in 2000 seemed to further stall his career with the label refusing to release his first solo album `Ten Of Swords`. The record found it's way to UK industry veteran Andrew Lauder (whose previous singings have included the Stone Roses, the Buzzcocks, the Stranglers, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe), stepped in and the album was finally released to widespread critical acclaim on the Evangeline label in 2002.

The album saw Carroll moving effortlessly between jangly Byrdslike pop songs ("Crashpad Number" and "You Saved My Life (Again Last Night)", rock ("Idiot World") and traditional folk ("Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down"), allowing his instrumental dexterity and songwriting acumen to be highlighted to great effect.

The lost songs and rarities collection All Wrongs Reversed was released by Carroll's record label Evangeline the following year. The album featured the superb Brian Wilson tribute "Mr Wilson" and an impressive cover version of Bob Dylan's "Gates Of Eden" which was placed on Dylan's official web page. Carroll has also recorded a version of `Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)` which can be found on the same album.

His career now moves into it's second decade. It's had its twists and turns, but he's always remained true to his vision. His latest work is his most personal and committed yet, and a brave and compelling step away from the crafted, intelligent pop for which he's best known. 'World On A Wire' is much darker in tone, on first listen it is stark and challenging but, scratch beneath surface, and Carroll's sense of harmony and melody still provide underlying rich textures. More worldly than his previous work, more considered and more real, it is a record of great scrutiny, uncompromising power and emotion.

He has cited influences ranging from Hank Williams and The Clash, to Bob Dylan and The Sex Pistols. Has shared a stage with Bob Mould of the seminal US outfit Husker Du, and the legendary folk songwriter, Eric Bogle. Such diversity is reflected incisively in his own work .

Comments

vinny wrote on 2011-10-31 00:00:00:
Hormones were amazing. Mr. Wilson is just fab., such a smart and innovative lyric :)

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