The spark plug that fires The Garment District’s engine is multi-instrumentalist Jennifer Baron, though on new album Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World, she gets a big assist from her cousin Lucy Blehar, who handles lead vocals across seven of the set’s nine tracks. There have been other notable contributors to prior recordings, including Jowe Head of Swell Maps and Kevin C. Smith of The Artificial Sea. Baron’s latest is a catchy yet ambitious and expansive affair that’s out September 22 on orange vinyl and digital through Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records.
Jennifer Baron was a founding member of The Ladybug Transistor, a Brooklyn-based outfit that was one of the 200 or so outfits affiliated with the Elephant 6 Collective, but are perhaps more commonly known as part of Merge Records’ ’90s boom period. I remain quite fond of that group, and Baron was part of my personal favorite in their discography, the near-perfect Albemarle Sound, released in ’99.
Gathering this knowledge of Baron’s background prior to hearing The Garment District spurred musings over Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World possibly extending The Ladybug Transistor’s blend of baroque pop, psych pop, and sunshine pop. The verdict is only somewhat, as there are enough similarities to make The Garment District’s latest a complementary listen rather than a break from Baron’s past.
Flowers Telegraphed’s opener “Left on Coast,” and particularly its minute-long jangle-psych prelude, does strengthen ties to Baron’s prior band, but in short order the track kicks into high pop-rock gear, though the momentum is still tangibly psych-infused via ’60s garage organ licks and string ripping that’s reminiscent of Rob Schnieder (I’m thinking specifically of The Marbles).
But the highly danceable groove of “A Street Called Finland” is a significant departure, and yet there is still a slightly askew underpinning amid the robust conception that should keep the psych mavens satisfied and even draw in fans of Stereolab and Broadcast. After that, the ’60s guitar pop-infused “Following Me” scales things back, though the ample infusions of druggy-fuzzy string burn steer matters away from the cutesy, even as the la-las come in late.
Inspiration drawn from the ’60s is one of the record’s consistent currents, as the “The Starfish Song” establishes an old school R&B foundation (especially the fat bass line) from whence is launched more energetic pop-rocking (wholly suitable for body moving) as the cut extends to nearly seven minutes, but with a beneficial structural variation in the midsection.
Then “Seldom Seen Arch” takes a left turn, radiating a decidedly ’80s pop vibe, though the lack of Blehar’s vocals makes the track a multifaceted twist. From there, “The Island of Stability” drapes an almost arena ready melodic framework with guy-gal vocal tradeoffs, rippling fuzz, more organ cascades, and a sturdy rhythmic bedrock.
It’s easy to picture crowds gleefully punching the air to many of these selections, but Baron and company keep matters interestingly layered for those listening at home in chairs on headphones. And then right on time, the keyboard-thick “Moon Pale and Moon Gold” deepens the psychedelic aura, and then the instrumental “Cooling Station” arrives, bringing with it fleeting thoughts of Joe Meek, a Turtles-esque melody, and a crew of sleep deprived library musicians knocking off David Shire.
Laden with shimmering and twanging guitar, the spirited “The Instrument That Plays Itself” closes Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World, wrapping up a confident and surprisingly diverse album where The Garment District’s motions impart an unforced positivity.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
