Detour Allure

Charlemagne | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 18, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sidecho Records
• ASIN: B000BC8SME
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,802 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Carl Johns is Charlemagne. But he’s been known as Carl Johns before — like when he was born in Southern Indiana in the mid-’70s, and when he started playing the drums (his first instrument). He was also Carl Johns when he left the Hoosier State and relocated to Madison, Wisconsin eight years ago, learned to play guitar and ended up in the group Noahjohn (a sort of a psychedelic Americana project, depending on which album you’re listening to), of which released four albums from 1999 to 2004, and toured all over the U.S. and U.K. Detour Allure was co-produced by Charlemagne and The Arty Bastard (real name: Curtis Whaley, keyboard player and graphic designer for the disc), and it was the first time the two paired up as a production team. "Curtis and I worked really well together," says Johns. "I really enjoyed working with Curtis. He’s a Southern gentleman with Euro flavor, which I think comes through on the record. He’s equally at home at cookouts and art openings! , a subtle iconoclast." Detour Allure launches with a triumvirate of material — specifically "Greyhound," "Pink and Silver" and "Nematode" — that, according to Johns, sets the parameters for the rest of the album and dictates "the palette that we’re working with." "Greyhound" is self-tagged as a "lazy pop song," on the slower end of a mid-tempo pace. (The song’s chorus is where the album title was lifted.) The upbeat "Pink and Silver" sports an ‘80s feel, with plenty of hooks and fuzzy tones. Johns’ psychedelic influences make an appearance in the middle section of "Nematode," which fires off with rough drum beats, acoustic guitars and a female voice, then breaks into a pop song with male/female vocal interplay. And when it’s all said and done, the core of Charlemagne’s Detour Allure is Johns’ songwriting common denominator: the exploration of mystery and becoming comfortable with the unknown. The juxtaposition of such elements in Detour Allure includes offering pop melodies of intimate scenarios (conception, knitting, travel, gossip, card games, etc.) ? the familiar and "known" ? amidst psychedelia and a wash of sound ? the undefined and "unknown."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant Detour, August 25, 2011

By 

BJ Fraser (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Detour Allure (MP3 Download)

I was first introduced to this band when Pandora played the song "Your Scars" on my station. Eventually I bought that single. Then much later since I liked it I thought I'd check out the whole album. I'm glad I did. The whole album seems to have the same vibe as "Your Scars" in that it's laid-back indie pop that puts me in mind of Belle & Sebastian or the Shout Out Louds. It's a nice relaxing listen. And I love the one lyric: "Chocolate covered cherries/scary, scary berries." Though personally I loved chocolate covered cherries.

That is all.

4.0 out of 5 stars Instantly Endearing, February 1, 2009

By 

Omnitarian (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Detour Allure (MP3 Download)

A welcome find for fans of indie and alt-pop, Charlemagne handily blends psychedelic and sunny aesthetics with abstract-poetic lyrics. The choicest, hookiest morsels are frontloaded on the album, with Nematode and Greyhound being my personal faves.

If you like these folks, check out Monolith, Viva Voce, and Stars.

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet melodies and harmonies, March 25, 2006

By 

CV (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Detour Allure (Audio CD)

Detour Allure sports toe-tapping beats and soft melodies that give it an upbeat but mellow feel, and the quiet, low-key male and female voices lull one into a state of contentment as they sketch vignettes of travel, love, and survival. Each song is like a moment out of every day life; the lyrics speak of the joys, tribulations, and quiet moments that meet us as we travel day to day, hour by hour through our lives. It is easy to feel a connection and understand the songs, because they represent experiences that are in some way common to us all, and recall memories of our own pasts. The songs show the cycles in life; the cycles of the season and the earth and the cycles in relationships - the joy in love, the loss, and the healing and renewal. Both these cycles and nature and relationships are best exemplified by the last song, "Hello September," which speaks of the loss of summer and the loss of love and reminds the listener that all things change.