The new album from The Garment District is a hoot. It's a smashing of genres and it's own genre. Fronted by Jennifer Baron, late of The Ladybug Transistor, the band's music has an Elephant 6-like vibe, and Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World is a robust delight.
"Left on Coast" ripples with promise, as does "Following Me", a more languid and ruminative number in the mold of Galaxie 500. Elsewhere, "The Starfish Song" chimes and pops, while "The Island of Stability" bursts forth with a bright retro-futuristic flavor not unlike the best moments from Komeda albums. And the other cuts here bounce around with similar confidence, even in different ways.
Jennifer Baron is joined here by Gary Olson (The Ladybug Transistor), Kyle Forester (Crystal Stilts), Shivika Asthana (Papas Fritas), and her cousin Lucy Blehar (vocals). But Baron's command is apparent. This is boldly iconoclastic stuff, with pieces of it feeling like things I held close to my heart a decade or so ago. But there's also a Sixties-thing happening here, and the whole enterpirse of this Garment District record has a Paisley Underground-ish sense of purpose. The promise of adventurous pop is being explored here, and thankfully Baron has kept all of this stuff catchy and wildly flavorful. This whole album is a lotta fun!
Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World by The Garment District is out on Friday via HHBTM Records.
[Photo: Nicole Czapinski]