Carnivores, TV Torso at Mohawk [Show Preview]

Carnivores are a band content with not being content. The Atlanta quartet is young in years but come with a sound that’s continuously being tinkered with. Pixies are an obvious referential starting point—their skuzzy noise-punk and girl-guy vocal dynamics certainly point in that direction. But Carnivores’ fresh-faced approach sets them apart. No sound is out of bounds, yielding a wide-eyed, psychedelic set of punk rock that’s firmly rooted in both the past and the future.

The band is bursting at the seams with ideas, crafting not one but two albums this year. October saw the release of If I’m Ancient, produced by Cyrus Shamir, who previously worked on T.I.’s Urban Legend. If this sounds incongruous, then Carnivores have done their job. Ear-splitting songs like “Feral Children” rub shoulders with sweet soul-pop ditties like “Planet Dream,” all wrapped in enough gauzy haze to make fellow ATL-native Bradford Cox crack a smile. Carnivores are brilliant in their kitchen-sink approach, and their live set tonight at the Mohawk should be an entertaining high-wire act. The songs are maniacal, but there’s a definite method to the madness.

Opening are local heroes TV Torso, who’s avant-pop leanings should be a nice warm-up for the night’s louder affairs. They released the stellar Status Quo Vadis EP at the tail end of summer, and it’s their strongest effort yet in a young career already marked by bouts of brilliance. Catch ‘em now so you can say you saw them then.

Carnivores: [bandcamp] [myspace]
TV Torso: [official] [bandcamp]