Genre: Folk
Rating: Recommended
released March 31, 2023
Full disclosure: I like Garfield as a person not just an artist. I’m not fortunate enough to be an actual friend but he has responded to a few direct messages online. I only mention that because I typically review the music of complete strangers. From time to time an online relationship develops afterward but this is the first time it’s played out the other way. Whatever the case, I call them like I see them but I usually avoid reviewing albums I don’t like unless the person is already really popular. I gave The Weeknd and Iggy Pop bad reviews, for example.
Garfield is a great podcaster and that’s how I came to know him. He’s extremely smart and does a fantastic job unraveling complicated and fascinating subjects while interviewing interesting guests. He has a unique ability to think on his toes and to stay on top of the subject matter wherever his guest decides to take it.
I’ve listened to a few of his musical releases on Bandcamp and I think this is his best yet. It’s basically psychedelic folk music but beyond that it’s kind of hard to explain in part because of his subtlety. He doesn’t drift too far away from the singer songwriter model but he incorporates weird psychedelic digressions that seem like they wouldn’t work but they do. And he’s a good singer but he doesn’t fall into pop style hooks. It’s more like when there are two or three species of birds within earshot. The closest comparison I can think of is deep track Joni Mitchell in the sense that he seems unconcerned with convention and just goes where he goes.
It’s not just a good record but this is an interesting person who’s offering something good to the world that’s worth making an effort to appreciate.
Warmth Highest 