Released on August 4, 2017 to popular music-sharing website Bandcamp, 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong is the debut studio album of Austin, Texas based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Caroline Sallee under the name Caroline Says. With a nondescript blurry photograph as an album cover and only two tags to categorize the record – “pop” and “Austin” – it’s clear that Sallee is intent on letting the music speak for itself.
Upon the beginning of the first listen, it’s also clear that the musician isn’t trying to back herself into an artistic corner by confining her music to a single genre, as the record kicks off with a series of three drastically different songs. “Winter is Cold” is a track with a traditional gloomy-folk style that one would expect on an indie songwriter’s quiet Bandcamp release, while the following song, “I Think I’m Alone Now,” is equipped with a more upbeat, jangly sound a la Beach Fossils or DIIV. Rounding out this initial series of tracks is “Funeral Potatoes,” which is centered around a hauntingly beautiful piano melody that brings the mood back down. This juxtaposition makes for a solid representation of the album as a whole, which continues the trend of ever-shifting tone and varied instrumentation.
Conversely, the lyrical content is mostly consistent throughout. The aforementioned opening track features lines such as “I’ve never been to the west coast / I’ve always heard it’s the best though” and “Now I’m all alone / Now I’m far from home.” The lyricism mirrors that of similar artists like Frankie Cosmos and Girlpool: simplistic and direct, but undeniably effective.
It all makes for a satisfying and attention-grabbing listen from start to finish, never falling into a tired routine – although the ever-present variation in sound often makes the project feel like a random collection of songs more than a cohesive album. It’s also one that’s decidedly front-loaded, with the beginning tracks mentioned earlier being the standouts by far. Still, Elvis Fans serves as a fun, beautiful musical ride and an impressive, promising debut from Caroline Says.
Recommended If You Like: Amy O, James Elkington, Moon Diagrams
Recommended Tracks: 1 (Winter Is Cold), 2 (I Think I’m Alone Now)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Sully Dyvad on 09/06/2017
