Carbon Leaf – Indian Summer

Indian Summer, the latest from Richmond, Va.’s Carbon Leaf, offers the kind of polite, upbeat rock that will surely appeal to fans of John Mayer or Dave Matthews. The band’s Celtic influences, evidenced on their independent releases, have been toned down here in favor of sleeker, radio-friendly rockers. Lead singer/songwriter Barry Privett’s pennywhistle still peeks through occasionally, but for the most part these 11 tracks don’t stray far from the Mayer/Matthews template—catchy melodies, a pseudo jamband sensibility and lyrics right out of the high school yearbook. It’s all pleasant stuff really, pretty and innocuous. But there’s nothing, musically, that rises above the utterly predictable—from the sensitively pensive “Grey Sky Eyes” to the soaringly anthemic “When I’m Alone.”

Maybe it’s because of embarrassing, banal lines like “Too much to do, too much to see / Pictures to take, people to meet.” Maybe it’s because I can’t believe the band can write about movie “reals” and keep a straight face. Sadly, I suspect they wouldn’t understand the point. This is a Hallmark Card cleverly disguised as sensitive, rockin’ singer/songwriter fare. If that’s your idea of musical and lyrical depth, then Indian Summer may shed a bit of warmth on your life.