just because you're beautiful (and melancholic). I'm happy.

Under a rather unusual pseudonym, Dothan singer/songwriter and former Auburn student David Carn, 22, penned his self-titled recording debut: an 8-song effort with tales of lost loves, war and longing for happiness with the occasional ray of hope. With either a solo guitar or acoustic piano as his only musical accompaniment, Carn evokes images of Radiohead at their mellowest and Nick Cave at his most depressed. The songs were recorded as soon as they were written, giving the music an authentic, inspirational vibe and each track is either a first or very early take, so props to Carn for his musical chops (he plays all of the instruments on the album) and vocal abilities. The opening song, "Waiting for the Clouds to Come" is carried along by a haunting piano melody while Carn croons away in an almost Thom Yorke fashion. Perhaps that's why Carn sounds as if he's singing in a British accent, or maybe it's just me. "Photograph" (no, it's not a Def Leppard cover) shows Carn at his most vulnerable point: lamenting the lost memory of a loved one. Together with just a solo electric guitar, the tune can remind the listener of Radiohead's "Exit: Music for a Film." Another standout track, "Just Because You're Beautiful," is one of the bright, sunshine-type songs on the album. This one is definitely a tune for the ladies as Carn sings along in a John Mayer-type rasp and coaxes out a tasteful piano riff. All in all, Luckyfish is a great effort from the youthful up-and-comer. Again, my only reservation about these songs is the lack of variety in tempo. Just like Dave Potts's "One Night in the South," if Luckyfish has a few more upbeat songs, it would give the album more balance and make it that much more enjoyable. Other than that, kudos to Carn for his work. Buy a copy and support local music.

This is a very intimate and raw piece of musical art recorded as Luckyfish, the creator being David Carn. Carn wrote, recorded, and performed all eight tracks with soul-defining purpose during the middle of 2004. Each of these performances are first takes and ad-libs, recorded in various living rooms and bedrooms. The listener can feel that Carn is very comfortable in his delivery and wise beyond his years in songwriting technique, poeticism, and use of dynamics. Luckyfish opens with the breathtaking piano and lush vocals of Waiting for the Clouds to Come. The guitars provide essential melancholy to Carn's witty lyricisms in The Devil from Upstairs. The third track transitions smoothly, with delightfully soothing piano in Just Because You're Beautiful. The chorus is most striking and emotionally resonant, quite sad and painful, yet uplifting in a way, as Carn sings "And just because you're beautiful / it doesn't mean you're free / You can never own anything if you're not happy." "I see your photograph," perhaps everywhere, cries the somber short ballad ,Photograph, tragically spelling, "But it's never with me," another sharply powerful answer to a masterfully delivered story. The record can make the listener feel very at peace at times, while during others Luckyfish is highly effective at just making him or her feel all kinds of emotions, from peace, to reassurance, to sadness and pain. This album is a perfect gift needed to help do some soul-searching, searching long and hard to understand the meanings behind certain feelings and experiences. Thankfully, David Carn released these songs in such a soulful way, with no added effects or other instrument tracks to muffle and erase the resonating power of this album, providing an important listening experience for the local scene. All in due time.