GARDENBOX – last resort
(CD, venerate industries)
Another blast from the past, but mixed in an
astoundingly modern format, which in the case of “last resort” by
Greek band Gardenbox means using micro-static noise and glitches to vamp
up a great rendition of big sized alternative pop. From the experimental
structuralism of opener “has been a long time” via the wonderful
“global pessimism” with its remarkable melody line to the multilayered
dark trip hop of “Sweet Oblivion” this band uses the “bigger than
life”-approach for their music. Every song and every arrangement sounds
as if it was designed for a big PA, a big stage and a big audience. There
is destructive noise and driving beats and wonderful female pop-vocals,
but there is also always an orchestral sense of size. If you draw a
straight line from Massive Attack to Skullflower and then include
some indie-pop music and the impact of The Swans, you might hit a part of
the connotational net of Gardenbox.
The Swans by the way as well as the Greek source of
this record always makes think of another great band from Greece 2L8, who had a cool
record on poeta negra. But such a way of thinking is completely my own
fault and has nothing to do with the band, the CD or the music on this
record. I see no other connection between the two records, but I will
nevertheless put them next to each other in my CD rack. Such is the dumb
mind of someone thinking about music, that they are never able to go on
without comparisons. Well, if I would compare this record to walking along
a pier in a dark wet night, would that help any? Or if I would say, that
it is a lot like the moment, when you driving a big car up a mountain and
all of a sudden you have reached the top and your field of sight suddenly
expands by millions, because you go from seeing just a little stretch of
the street and the greens around it to looking at a vast valley and lots
of other mountains on the other side, would that be of help? Because that
kind of panoramic quality is a main ingridient of “last resort”.
The highlight of the record comes quite late and – as
anthing that values spaciousness and size – needs some time to expand
and the same amount ot time to be enjoyed. The second to last track
“Pass Over” starts with nothing but a blue instrumental guitar, some
glitches and one keyboard layer. From there it evolves into a full grown
wall of sound which with time starts to tear off bit by bit revealing
several layers and open sores and parts. Things get more and more noisy
and chaotic without losing that massive droning feeling. That includes
guitars sounding like handheld motor saws, bad ass distorted bass sounds,
weird little keyboard lines, field recordings and other noise. But this
track grips you like a bulldog bites and won’t let go until it suddenly
fades off into a vast nothing.
This kind of noise orchestra meets trip hop side seems
to take up larger amounts of the record as well. Other nice examples are
“future of the corporation” and “How did we get here?”, which in
more or less obvious fashion use electronic noise and highly effected
guitars and keyboards to conjure up an atmosphere of timeless swaying
while staying steadfastly entrenched in a big beat. Which makes this
record a hopelessly retro affair at the same time as it is modern. If that
sounds like a paradoxon to you, you might consider thinking again while
listening to some music. If it doesn’t, you should be able to enjoy this
daringly different approach with due respect and satisfaction.
