SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARK GANE – GARDEN MUSIC

MARK GANE
GARDEN MUSIC
MUFFIN MUSIC

Mark Gane, of Martha And The Muffins fame, has been working on Garden Music, his first solo album, for many years. He wanted to get it just right, and he did. Garden Music is very different from what you may expect from Gane, especially given his knack for writing very melodic songs. Keep in mind, this is a solo album, not a Martha And The Muffins album, and as such, Gane has come up with one of the most original albums this year. This is sound, perhaps a sound collage, or one could even consider it the sounds and music of a radio play for your brain.

Gane uses found sound, recorded sound, voices and sparse instrumentation throughout the entire album. At times it is difficult to know where sound ends, and the instrument begins. In “Bee Balm”, for example, the sound of a bee melts into keyboard patterns, or perhaps it is the other way around. It all comes together to create an auditory visual. Gane uses voice and sound to create mood and feeling for the listener. Sometimes it is calm, other times it is downright scary (“Creeping Charlie” and “Deadly Nightshade” immediately come to mind).

Gane layers sounds, and uses music to accentuate the sounds, rather than the music being front and centre. “Deadly Nightshade”, for example, has the music as a backing track, but it is the sounds that draw your attention away from the music. The voices do not present a clear picture, nor are they intended to. In “Sweet Rocket”, the voices are more front and centre and create an almost rhythmic sound. One imagines people at a firework display (or maybe people witnessing war) with repeated “Oh my God”) running through the song.

Other moments are a bit more styled in the shape of a song. “Johnny Jump Up”, for example, is as close to a conventional song as one will get on Garden Music. It has some great keyboard playing and a very unique rhythm pattern. And the last song on the album, “Love Lies Bleeding” is the most beautiful moment on the album. Again, it is the combination of voices and music that tears the heart out of the listener. It is remarkably melancholic and a sublime moment on the album. It is the perfect way to end the album. It is the only song with lyrics, which read like a poem.

The best way to listen to Garden Music is in a dark room, in a comfortable position with headphones. This album plays out like a movie for your mind. The sounds and music (and there are some very cool musical moments). A great deal of credit must be given to Ray Dillard and Gane for the mixing of the album. They create the perfect balance throughout and it is their ability to mix the sounds together to help create the moods. Gane has spent a great deal of time with this album, and I am glad it has finally been released.

SPILL FEATURE: SOME PEOPLE SAY IT IS A DIFFICULT LISTEN, I DON’T MIND THAT – A CONVERSATION WITH MARK GANE (MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS)

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