Recent Bella Union signee Our Broken Garden is primary singer/composer Anna Brønsted supported by a host of other musicians. Brønsted is a member of Efterklang’s live set-up, and it could be said that this EP carries a similar feel to that band’s work, but Our Broken Garden is certainly a different entity, with it’s own sound.There is a distinct lack of guitar throughout the Lost Sailor EP , organ, piano, strings, horns, drums and bass work in a flow, often Brønsted’s voice carries a song’s melody, with the other instruments playing little contributing roles to help it all along, this is in evidence on ‘Visible To You’, and so is the role the organ plays through many of the songs. Chords are held down below the other instruments acting as a bed for the song, and bringing a sprawled out yearning and melancholia. The most conventional song here is probably ‘The Blinding’, up beat yet yearning, soft edged instrumentation yet chilly, regretful and sad yet with a strong melody. ‘Ashes’ shows that the vocals have subtlety and a pleasing range within their boundaries, often she sounds like Kathryn Williams at her inkiest, jazziest and saddest. ‘Anchoring Interlude’ is a beautiful drift of ambience, electronic and actual instruments create whirls, eddies and washes with some barely evident vocals.
Our Broken Garden side-step the idea of Scandinavian women with beautiful voices playing conventionally influenced pop music, (Taken By Trees, El Perro Del Mar, Hello Saferide (and there is nothing wrong with these acts, by the way)), by varying the instrumentation, becoming more ephemeral, and finding some chillingly spooky moods. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.
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Links
Our Broken Garden [myspace] [record label]
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