Peace, it comes a moment when you would be satisfied only with little calmness and tranquillity. Not every week can be pleasant, and that misfortune of our lives, the work, it often takes you to the limit. And although I don’t like that the things that I write tell about nothing but music, today I felt tired and without desire to write, so, when I arrived at home it was necessary to think about a solution: The Carousel.

Our solution of today is born thanks to the union of two “mythical” figures of the British Indie Pop of the 80′ s. It was Elizabeth Price, 50% of the feminine part of that fundamental band called Talulah Gosh, where together with Amelia Fletcher composed some of the best flashes Pop Punk of those years. Our heroin soon got tired of as much energy used in destroying the precious songs which were composed for the band, and she left the group before their definitive dissolution.

The other part of the duo, her boyfriend, the great Gregory Webster, deserving of an extensive article thanks to his work with Tim Vass in Razorcuts, and, he was later composer of wonderful songs under his own name, and also with Saturn V or the latest one, Sportique.

Elizabeth Price, since it really seems to be her personal project, tries to create a personal and very different world, separated from the Indie scene of the moment. Thus, the first time you listen to the band, it is surprising that there is only the sweet voice left in comparison with Talulah Gosh, because The Carousel creates an atmosphere of classic inspiration around them, resorting to aesthetic images, religious or not religious, of last centuries whereas in the musical facet we find a music which could be almost described, in its spirit and loudness, as sacred music.

The most important record production of the group begins thanks to the 12” Strawberry Fayre, published by their own label Cosmic English Music, we find four themes of folk inspiration where the voice of Elizabeth and the twelve-strings guitar are the true protagonists. Nothing about drums or percussions, good-bye to the bass, only some flaut dares to break the atmosphere of the songs. Strawberry Fayre or the innocent Halfpennies and Farthings gives rise to that religious atmosphere of the music of the group, there is so much melancholy in the throat of Elizabeth that September Come Again does not get to dissipate the sensation that this is a record to enjoy in complete solitude. The back of the 12” shows us the duo, with a non-paymentable photo of Elizabeth (it is impossible to be cooler), with her brown long hair and very long eyelashes. Beside her, Gregory Webster, I cannot remember to have seen him younger than in this photo.

One year later, in 1990, it will appear the continuation to Strawberry Fayre, a new work, the same label, the same format, Sorrow Is The Way To Love. Religious cover with Jesus in the cross, moving away from any aesthetic which can be well known by the listener. In the back, the duo again, it is stated that Elizabeth knows how to behave in front of a camera, this girl could have been a star. Musically, Locks and Bolts is one of their best themes, with a beginning of severe instrumentation that gives character accompanied in this occasion by an organ, we find a theme that could have been composed and interpreted many centuries ago. The rest of the record has a lighter face with Sorrow Is The Way To Love marked by a more Pop accent, fact that we must thank because of the folk origin of the music of The Carousel. Handmedown Green dazzles thanks to the choirs and the harmonic whereas No Ticket For The Train ends up the record. Great work with the high level of their debut, It is difficult to decide what is the best record of these.

Later, the group will record a 7″ in the australian Summershine, It is a pity that we cannot enjoy with the habitual back photo of our girl. The record is promising, Amelia Fletcher collaborates and Tim Vass plays the bass. Will you Wear Love? Entitles the record, and, together with Yesterday Boy, They will turn into the most popular themes of the group, perhaps because of the greater diffusion of the Australian label. The record is more Pop, and the two mentioned themes are not as atypical as those from preceding records, and we can think that this is a typical Pop group. Will You Wear Love? is an incredible piece and you will repeat the chorus during a long time after its conclusion. Cerise ends up the disc with the best vocal work obtained until the moment and a “baroque” instrumentation we are not used to.

With the edition of the record of Summershine, the analogical adventure of The Carousel is over, and the group will begin a new adventure with Vinyl Japan. With the anglo-japanese label, in 1994, It will come to light their Mini-Lp , with a curious title: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz that shows in the Cover to an Elizabeth who seems to be praying while other girl smiles in second-shot. The mini-Lp is a good work, but, despite this fact, it hasn’t the same level than all their last production, The eight songs are tasteful, but they don’t keep the same harmony of years ago. Henry Please Don’ t Chop Off My Head opens the record and it do not place in very good position to one of the English monarchs, finally, the good humour and the sarcasm make formal appearance, the song is the best one of the record and it ends up badly for the he governor protagonist. Truelove is one of the best songs of the group and when it seems that the record improves, we find a soporific final part with songs that can not be distinguished from others. Sugarbowl is the only one which is outstanding from the rest of the songs of the record.

The history of The Carousel ends up thanks to the publication, in 1993 of I Forgot To Remember To Forget, CD that compiles the two 12” and the 7” previous to the publication with their new label, there is also an extra added theme.

It is really difficult to have an idea about how The Carousel sounds on the basis of a few written lines. You must not become frightened by the religious aspect of their proposal or their sound of traditional origin, under this description there are songs with atypical emotion, and a personal work, a true balsam for body and mind in days of anxiety.

Nowadays, all the records from The Carousel are sold out, although, it is possible to find the Cd`s published by Vinyl Japan in the habitual suppliers of second hand material.