Carver City

Carver City
Studio album by CKY
Released May 19, 2009 (history)
Recorded August (August)–December 2008 (2008-12) at Studio CIG, New Hope, Pennsylvania; Studio 4, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; and 4th Street Recording, Santa Monica, California
Genre Alternative metal, alternative rock
Length 42:05
Label Roadrunner
Producer Chad I Ginsburg, Deron Miller
CKY chronology
An Answer Can Be Found
(2005)		 Carver City
(2009)		 B-Sides & Rarities
(2011)
Singles from Carver City
  1. "Hellions on Parade"
    Released: April 20, 2009
  2. "A#1 Roller Rager"
    Released: May 4, 2009

Carver City is the fourth studio album by American alternative metal band CKY. Recorded at guitarist and producer Chad I Ginsburg's Studio CIG,[1] the album was released on May 19, 2009 and charted at number 46 on the American Billboard 200 albums chart.[2] The two singles released from the album were "Hellions on Parade", on April 20, 2009, and "A♯1 Roller Rager", on May 4, 2009.

This is the only album to feature former band member Matt Deis.

Contents

History

The band began writing material for their fourth album, their first with Roadrunner, in 2006, with a planned 2007 release.[3] Recording began in August 2008 at Ginsburg's "Studio CIG" in New Hope, Pennsylvania with the guitarist once again at the forefront of the album's production.[1] Frontman Miller said of the band's approach to the recording of the album:

“ We are approaching this record very differently than previously... this process has proved to be amazingly productive and successful, because the two of us [Miller and Ginsburg] have been coming up with amazing melodies, rhythms, beats, and harmonies that we never had time for on our other albums.[4] ”

In March MTV reported that the band was "almost done" with the album, revealing that it would contain songs entitled "Hellions on Parade" and "The Boardwalk Body", which Margera revealed was written by Miller about a childhood trip on which he discovered a dead body.[5] Despite this news, the first official update on the recording process was not issued until August,[6] in which the band said the following:

“ The new album is coming along quicker and smoother than any record we've ever done, and the excitement of being with a new label with many possibilities has me writing non-stop. I'm still coming up with music for the new record, which the band and I are reluctant to elaborate on the details of the material and direction because it raises and/or lowers fans' expectations; but it's obvious in typical CKY fashion that if we didn't feel it was better than what we've done in the past that it wouldn't be worth working on. Some of the song titles we're working with are "Hellview III: Hellions on Parade", "Karma Works its Way", "Underappreciated", "Making Contact", "...And She Never Returned", "The Boardwalk Body", "There's Two of Me" and other classics to be. Our work ethic has been more along the lines of Volume 1 and IDR where we tend not to overexamine things and just go with what sounds great right away. There's still a lot of work to do but the album will easily be out by March/April '08.[7] ”

However, following this news, rumours began to surface that the band had, or were due to, split up. In October MTV reported that "there's trouble in the world of CKY", alleging that "a physical altercation recently broke out between various members of the group", quoting Ginsburg as saying that Miller "has quit CKY to pursue his own band" and that he and Margera would continue as CKY.[8] Miller was also quoted as explaining that after hearing them "talk smack" about him, "he confronted the rest of the band, after which a fight broke out", threatening legal action should any of the songs written for the band's album appear without his consent.[8] Following this incident, the band went on a short hiatus, while the band focused on side-projects and their personal lives for almost a year.

In October 2008 the silence was finally broken, as Miller reported that the band were back together and were "98% done tracking the new CKY record".[9] It was also revealed on the band's MySpace page that two shows were scheduled for 2008, on October 30 and 31 in West Chester dubbed "Hellview III". Recording ended in November of that year.[1] On January 29, 2009 it was finally revealed that CKY's fourth studio album would be called Carver City and be released on May 19.[10][11] Further song titles revealed were "Karmaworks" and "Woe Is Me", and Miller praised "the undying hardcore support of our fans, our unorthodox musical approach and a brand new partnership with Roadrunner Records" for "keeping CKY strong".[10][11] Described as "more inventive ... more layered ... [and] the most inspired album [by the band]" by Ginsburg, Miller revealed that Carver City contains a "dark summer vacation vibe" and explained the album's title thus:

“ The fabled town of Carver City has a history of bad luck and misfortune, all the while giving the impression that it’s a pleasant family getaway. Much like CKY's town of Hellview, Carver City's events are depicted in the songs, with story lines coming from real life events.[10][11] ”

In March the album's cover artwork was revealed;[12] in April it was revealed that "Hellions on Parade" would be the lead single from Carver City[13][14] and that a music video directed by Bam Margera (for what was eventually revealed to be "A#1 Roller Rager") was to be recorded on April 20 with fan involvement;[15] and on May 19 the album was released in North America.[16] On July 3 Carver City was released as an LP album, following a petition started by members of the CKY Alliance, the band's official fanbase.[17][18]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
allmusic [19]
PopMatters [20]

On music website allmusic, Carver City received a rating of four out of five stars, the same as was awarded to the band's previous two albums, Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild and An Answer Can Be Found.[21] In a review for the site, critic Phil Freeman praised the album as evidence of the band "being smart and unique", explaining that the band had established their own identity separate from the skate/stoner rock image produced by their association with Bam Margera and the CKY video series.[22] Ultimate Guitar staff writer Amy Sciarretto noted that "a mingling of hard rock and alternative rock on most of the songs ... allows the band to appeal to a wide, diverse cross-section of subversive rockers and skate punks who want something new, different and exciting than what’s currently blasting on the radio."[23]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Deron Miller and Chad I Ginsburg. 

Standard editions
No. Title Length
1. "Hellions on Parade"   3:41
2. "...And She Never Returned"   3:33
3. "Rats in the Infirmary"   3:30
4. "Imaginary Threats"   3:43
5. "The Boardwalk Body"   3:39
6. "Plagued By Images"   3:25
7. "Karmaworks"   4:05
8. "Woe Is Me"   3:50
9. "A#1 Roller Rager"   3:50
10. "Old Carver's Bones"   4:57
11. "The Era of an End"   3:52
Total length:
 42:05

Personnel

CKY
Additional personnel
Production personnel
  • Rob Murry Valeno – percussion
  • Phil Nicolo – mixing, additional engineering
  • Frank Moore – additional engineering
  • Chris Mullings – additional engineering
  • Matt Janaitis – engineering assistance/group vocals on "Rats in the Infirmary"
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering
  • Matthew Agoglia – sequence editing

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog Track listing
Australia May 15, 2009 Roadrunner Compact disc Unknown Special edition
Europe May 15, 2009 Roadrunner Compact disc Unknown Standard edition
United Kingdom May 17, 2009 Roadrunner Compact disc Unknown Special edition
May 18, 2009 Digital download B0029NKKF6 Standard edition
North America May 19, 2009 Roadrunner Compact disc 1686-180052 Standard edition
Digital download
Compact disc 1686-180058 Special edition
Worldwide May 19, 2009 Roadrunner Digital download B0029OR98G Special edition
Japan May 27, 2009 Roadrunner Compact disc RRCY-21340 Japanese edition
Worldwide July 3, 2009 Roadrunner LP album Unknown Standard edition

References

  1. ^ a b c (2009) Album notes for Carver City by CKY [Booklet]. New York City, New York: Warner Music Group.
  2. ^ "CKY > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p441362. Retrieved April 3, 2010. 
  3. ^ "CKY Forges Alliance with Roadrunner". Roadrunner Records. December 7, 2006. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/CKY-FORGES-ALLIANCE-WITH-ROADRUNNER-14242.aspx. Retrieved April 3, 2010. 
  4. ^ "CKY begins work on next album". Altsounds.com. February 10, 2007. http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/79443-cky-begins-work-on-next-album.html. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  5. ^ Chris Harris (March 10, 2007). "CKY Almost Done With LP But Not Ready To Discuss Dead Body Yet ...". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1554178/20070308/id_0.jhtml. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  6. ^ "CKY Studio Update Posted". Roadrunner Records. August 20, 2007. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/CKY-STUDIO-UPDATE-POSTED-17833.aspx. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  7. ^ "Message From Band". CKY (MySpace). August 20, 2007. http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/83518-cky-update.html. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  8. ^ a b "Britney Spears Reportedly Hits Another Paparazzo; Plus 50 Cent, Radiohead, Don Vito, Jamie Foxx, Amy Winehouse & More, In For The Record". MTV. October 23, 2007. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1572557/20071023/spears_britney.jhtml. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  9. ^ "CKY Getting Closer". Roadrunner Records. October 6, 2008. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/CKY-GETTING-CLOSER-19524.aspx. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  10. ^ a b c "New CKY Album News!!". CKY (MySpace). January 29, 2009. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=3414419&blogId=467241714. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  11. ^ a b c "CKY Finishing Up Work on New Album". CKY (MySpace). January 29, 2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/CKY-FINISHING-UP-WORK-ON-NEW-ALBUM-19798.aspx. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  12. ^ "CKY Release New Album Cover!". Roadrunner Records. March 3, 2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/CKY-RELEASE-NEW-ALBUM-COVER-19875.aspx. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  13. ^ "CKY Sneak Peak [sic] from the New Album! Free MP3!". Roadrunner Records. April 13, 2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/CKY-SNEAK-PEAK-FROM-THE-NEW-ALBUM--FREE-MP3-20137.aspx. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  14. ^ "Hear "Hellions on Parade" on April 15th". CKY (MySpace). April 14, 2009. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=3414419&blogId=483137759. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  15. ^ "CKY Video Casting Call!". CKY (MySpace). April 18, 2009. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=3414419&blogId=484009592. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  16. ^ "CKY's Carver City Is Out Now!". Roadrunner Records. May 19, 2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/CKYs-CARVER-CITY-IS-OUT-NOW-20251.aspx. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  17. ^ "Pre-Order CKY's New Album on Vinyl Now". Roadrunner Records. June 18, 2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/PREORDER-CKYS-NEW-ALBUM-ON-VINYL-NOW-20323.aspx. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  18. ^ "Caver City to be released on vinyl!". CKY (MySpace). June 19, 2009. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=3414419&blogId=495725782. Retrieved March 28, 2010. 
  19. ^ allmusic review
  20. ^ PopMatters review
  21. ^ "CKY > Discography > Main Albums". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p441362. Retrieved April 7, 2010. 
  22. ^ Phil Freeman. "Carver City > Review". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1548507. Retrieved April 7, 2010. 
  23. ^ Amy Sciarretto (May 19, 2009). "Carver City Review". Ultimate Guitar Archive. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/cky/carver_city/index.html. Retrieved April 7, 2010. 
CKY
Deron Miller · Chad I Ginsburg · Jess Margera · Matt "Matty J" Janaitis
Ryan Bruni · Vern Zaborowski · Matt Deis
Studio albums
Compilations
Extended plays
Videos
Singles
Other songs
Related articles