A R Garden 2014
A painter and a seer of visions’ imagination set in a garden of glory.
Much as PINK FLOYD’s late founder’s influence is felt in the depth of rock, first of all in the music of the band that jettisoned Barrett, the other artistic side of Syd has always remained separated from the pictures he drew in his songs. But Buenos Aires dweller Adriana Rubio found a way to reconnect these facets of the Englishman’s talents, creating, together with singing guitarist Alexander Ditzend, a dozen-cut run of songs which marry innocence to experience true to their inspiration’s spirit.
They run from the psychedelic naiveté of “Garden” – grounded by a jazzy piano and roaring organ – and the drily acoustic grace of “My Ladies” to the dramatic, trumpet-smeared and roar-adorned “Coliseum” that flows like a long-lost “Dark Side” piece. As logically, the instrumental dirge of “Transformation” bears a sax-squeezed lunacy tune, and the heavy, if harmonies-filled, “Squares, Lines & Polygons” rides a geometrical riff and a catchy chorus, while “Crime Scene” looms as cinematic and tense as any of Syd’s classics. Yet “Tour Bus” isn’t an upgrade on Barrett’s “Bike” but a prog-minded original which, alongside majestic solo in “Self Portrait,” shows GMP the way beyond this well-honed homage to their idol. May the garden bloom.
***4/5