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7 |
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Irving |
| Death in the Garden, Blood on the Flowers |
| Eenie Meenie Records | 2006 | Album |
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It’s 1986 and we’re trapped in a John Hughes movie with Fall Out Boy (no wonder Spin loves them.) No, it’s not “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me". Its Irving’s new album, Death In The Garden Blood On The Flowers - the four years in the making follow-up to the bands first full-length, 2002’s Good Morning Beautiful. The latter is perhaps best known for the had-too-much-to-drink poetry of “Did I Ever Tell You I'm In Love With Your Girlfriend”.
Good Morning Beautiful was received so warmly – praised for its Beatles, Zombies, and Beach Boys of Summer psychedelic overtones. Winning the band choice gigs with Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene.
The album’s title track starts off promising enough – a golden oldie if you will in the vein of all that was Good Morning Beautiful. But then something bad happens. “Death In The Garden Blood On The Flowers” treads dangerously…dangerously…close to George Michael territory with “Faith” style hand clapping. Unless that’s what they were going for, in which case Bravo! Good Morning Beautiful was Irving’s take on a 60’s mix tape. Death In The Garden, Blood On The Flowers is all about the 80’s, Molly Ringwald and nu-wave.
Well, okay, it’s not all 80’s – “Situation” and “The Longest Day In The Afternoon” are true to what was once known as Irving.
This year the band is booked solid for touring. The gigs surely must have been brokered long before the album came out or was heard by anyone outside of The Group.
Irving is involved with the Silverlake adjacent collective and namesake-recording studio The Ship. The likes of which have harbored many a great band including the Silversun Pickups and Earlimart.
Among empties of (insert vice here) Pabst Blue Ribbon, all five band members - singer/guitarist Steven Scott, bassist Alex Church, guitarist Brian Canning, drummer Brent Turner and keyboardist Aaron Burrows - contributed to the songwriting. (Reader, “Even the drummer!?” Yes, even the drummer.)
Earlimart’s singer/songwriter Aaron Espinoza and his creative partner and Grandaddy widower Jim Fairchild worked on a handful of songs including “The Look Of Flowers That Are Looked At” and “I’ll Write The Song, You Sing For Me”. And indie SuperProducer Phil Ek (Matt Costa, David Cross, Dios (Malos)) produced many of the tracks.
More disappointing than bad, the album begs the question: What happened here? Could it be that the band’s creative differences were construed as healthy experimentation? Maybe Irving is just a little too (sm)art-rock for their own good. |
| Sarah Jane |
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