The Caribbean
Verse by Verse
Endearing Records

With its second release, Washington, D.C., trio The Caribbean has produced a mellow, textural voyage. Verse by Verse feels like a sleepy, summer cruise perhaps ... in the Caribbean? Well, probably more like a quick get-away on the outskirts of any hip, fast-paced city. Wherever you choose to go with it, this record lets you drift away in your own dream world.

Verse by Verse is a melodic pop album with stints of catchy, picked guitar and an abundance of tasteful, spacey keyboard effects that drape themselves and ooze over most of the songs. The entire record is tasteful and gracefully calm while consistently commanding full attention. Interesting, high-pitched percussion and synthesized tidbits lurk just behind the forefront of several tunes, always a welcome break from the rock rule that this beloved space is exclusively reserved for guitar and/or vocals.

The vocal melodies are clever, unpredictable and quiet. Their understated nature rests perfect on this record, with the exception of a couple of tracks. "Front Row at the Rodeo" for one is one track where the listener could be left frustrated that the vocals have been overpowered and fade into the instrumentation of this song. This is only a brief discouragement though, as they find their way back into clarity quickly. Micheal Kentoff’s voice is emotional and heavy-hearted, not by vocal power, but by the wispy tone and drifting nature of the melodies.

The Caribbean is fantastic about dropping in golden nuggets of whimsical, sometimes popping, sound. The opening number, "I'll Simplify My Life (in Fremont)," floats and swirls echoing piano and surreal keyboards. A strong guitar punches in briefly mid-song, and an unexpected female vocal subtly slips in late in the song.

Occasionally the group pulls the old bait-and-switch, but in a good way. Just when you expect a song to flow one path, it subtly builds itself into a bigger and bolder direction. "Help Would Only Confuse Me" is a toe-tapping ditty that begins stripped down with a rhythm guitar and drum, then builds toward a more sophisticated layering of shimmering sounds. "To Call Your Very Own" begins as if it could be a simply sweet pop tune, a la '60s sensitive pop-rockers The Left Banke, then slides into what more resembles Pavement covering The Left Banke.

Don’t be fooled by the dull, gray album cover. Verse by Verse is a delightfully rich full-color dream.

— Tina Krinhop (oootinaooo at yahoo dot com)