THE FLOWERS OF HELL – “ATMOSPHERE”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
There are several phenomena within our current music market that give rise for celebration. Among them is the revival of vinyl records, which has both its good aspects and bad aspects. In the case of the artist featured here today, it’s definitely a good thing because the album in focus was not originally released in this physical format, but the content is certainly worthy of such a pressing.
Yet another positive phenomenon on the scene is the advent of Record Store Day. Also with observations and critics in both camps, a lot can be said for the organizers of and participants in this annual event in a climate where the mom-and-pop shops have become sparser and where the mecca-day-of-frenzy vinyl shopping drives competition to the extent that vinyl offerings have become more unique and even cleverly creative. RSD is an event that also applies to today’s premiere.
Who are these masked troubadours, you may ask – alas, we are here to help navigate you into the ear-space of The Flowers Of Hell, a Toronto and London-based experimental pop/ rock collective, led by Greg Jarvis, who will soon see the first vinyl pressing of their highly acclaimed Odes album through Space Age Recordings (famed as home to Spacemen 3, as well as such artists as The Telescopes, Spectrum, and Acid Mothers Temple).
While officially registered as a release for Record Store Day UK with its 180-gram red coloured vinyl and deluxe die-cut sleeve, ‘Odes’ will also be available in international shops two weeks later, (on May 5) as an import (so let your local record store know you’re interested in putting in an order).
This release has quite the history, connected not only to the astounding line-up of artists involved, but also to the fact that music icon Lou Reed began the final episode of his BBC6 / Sirius-XM New York Shuffle radio show in 2012 premiering three tracks from this covers album, at which time he called this “an amazing, amazing album”, noting that it is “so beautiful and great” and “exquisite”. He didn’t have to play so many tracks and he didn’t’ have to dive so deep into the album, but he did – after all, this is Lou Reed and he could have done anything he wanted on his final show, but he chose to focus on this album. Enough said.
Today we have the pleasure of sharing with you the video for The Flowers of Hell’s version of Joy Division’s “Atmosphere”. It is a mesmerizing version worthy of your attention and, although you may feel goosebumps coming on, brace yourself as this is just the tip of the wonderful iceberg that is ‘Odes’. Of the 12 tracks available on the original 2012 release, 11 of them have made it onto the vinyl version – shoppers get ready and get your mark on.
“Lou Reed’s praise meant more to us than a Grammy ever would,” says “It also meant all the time I spent in my youth smoking weed while listening to The Velvet Underground wasn’t a waste – it was research!” says Greg Jarvis.
“Joy Division would have known Lou Reed’s classic line that ‘One chord’s fine, two chords and you’re pushing it, three chords and your into jazz’ at the time they were writing their own two-chord wonder, ‘Atmosphere’. I think somehow we uncovered a Velvet Underground aspect that lies with-in the song, which perhaps isn’t so discernible on Joy Division’s original,” says Greg Jarvis.
On ‘Odes’, the group pay tribute to some of their favourite songs and influences, creating orchestral-pop covers of works by Bob Dylan, Klaatu, Stereolab, Laurie Anderson, The Velvet Underground, Siouxsie & the Banshees and Neutral Milk Hotel, among others. The album features appearances from Sea Power’s Neil ‘Hamilton’ Wilkinson and Abi Fry, Prague underground legend Ivo Pospíšil and the Plastic People Of The Universe. Recorded in Toronto, ‘Odes’ was co-produced by the band & Grammy winning engineer Peter J. Moore (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Joe Strummer), who returned to remastered it for vinyl.
Since starting in London in 2005, playing Sonic Cathedral and AC30 club, The Flowers Of Hell have traversed the experimental edges of indie and orchestral music with works often rooted in the audio-visual synesthesia of the band’s leader Greg Jarvis. Despite relative obscurity, they’ve also been championed by Spacemen 3’s Pete Kember a.k.a. Sonic Boom, My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields and members of The Legendary Pink Dots, Death In Vegas, The Wedding Present, The Fugs and The Plastic People Of The Universe, not to mention support from NASA’s mission control team and the Tate Gallery.
And that is not even all the good news the band have to share at this time – May 12 brings the released of their first album in six years. Keshakhtaran (in fact, their sixth studio album). This 42-minute offering involved 20 artists, including Canada’s own Rishi Dhir (Elephant Stone, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, Beck) and accordion innovator Angel Corpus Christi (Suicide, Spiritualized, Dean Wareham). From this, they have already shared the single “Foray Through Keshakhtaran”, available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.
Enjoy the original album, marking more than a decade until this vinyl release, as well as the parallel taster “Foray to Keshakhtaran” from the ‘Keshaktaran’ album (out May 12):
The Flowers Of Hell
[Single]
(Space Age Recordings)
Release Date: April 6, 2023
Odes Track Listing
SIDE A
1. Avery Island / April 1st (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)
2. Atmosphere (Joy Division cover)
3. Muchomůrky Bílé (Plastic People Of The Universe cover)
4. Walk On The Wild Side (Lou Reed cover)
5. Run Run Run (Velvet Underground cover)
6. The Last Beat Of My Heart (Siouxsie & The Banshees cover)
SIDE B
7. Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan cover)
8. Super-Electric (Stereolab cover)
9. O Superheroin (Laurie Anderson/Velvet Underground cover)
10. Over & Over (Fleetwood Mac cover)
11. Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (Klaatu / Carpenters cover)
Artist Links
Photo Credits: Greg Jarvis
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