Portrait of some emo-rock dude on a couch

What are the chances of this sort-of-good-looking guy preferring the same working posture used by SooToday.com's arts and entertainment staff during late-night copy-editing orgies?

What are the chances he has exactly the same socks as we do?

And what are the chances of SooToday.com actually having two pairs of mismatched socks just like that?

This man of excruciatingly good fashion sense and very bad posture is a member of Red Shag Carpet, an Edmonton-based band that's playing the Downbeat on September 19 as part of a CD-release tour flogging its second album Lift and Drop.

Click here to see Sockboy's less-glamourous bandmates

Here's what their record company sent us:

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Lift And Drop is the second album from Edmonton Alberta's Red Shag Carpet.

Recorded, mixed and co-produced by fellow Edmonton magic man Nik Kozub (Shout Out Out Out/Veal), Lift And Drop is the culmination of the four songwriters and vocalists Daniel Yarmon, Ted Ani, Allan Pickard, Matti Darrah and although comparisons range from Ben Folds Five to Gomez, Wilco to Spoon the sound and vision is all Red Shag Carpet.

From the rock-ready opening anthem Star Of Your Film, to the piano-pushed melodies of Drop, the snaky guitar hooks of So And So, the scrappy howl and crash of Lift, or the uneasy haunt of Overtop, Lift And Drop is the sound of an ascending rollercoaster at the hands of a music-addled escape artist.

With over 300 shows under their belt since releasing their self-titled debut three short years ago, Red Shag Carpet is not a part-time venture.

From show to show and mile to mile, this is a band that lives on and for the road so it should come as no surprise to find out they will be in your town very soon.

Soul! That's what The Vines are missing. It becomes readily apparent after listening to Red Shag Carpet's second album, Lift and Drop, which smoulders with a ragged piano-pop, folk and punk spirit. The last line of the album - "I'll find music in the sound of anything that brought me down" - is really the theme of the entire recording. - Sandra Sperounes, The Edmonton Journal

The LP Lift and Drop is the group's second effort showcasing musical range and tight songwriting. The album fluidly links folk, pop, and classic rock traditions by way of the piano. - Frieda Luk, Soulshine (Toronto)

An inventive blend of pop and emo-influenced rock. - Kathryn Lyzun, The Source

RedShagCarpet.com

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