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Garden Music Project: Inspired by Syd Barrett
Garden Music Project Inspired by Syd Barrett's Artwork CD Album Review

Garden Music Project: Inspired by Syd Barrett's Artwork

Melodic/Progressive Rock
3.0/5.0

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A R Garden / Cherry Red Records
Words: Craig Hartranft  Added: 25.09.2014

Alright, Garden Music Project is an odd thing. Something that requires some explanation. First, most know who Syd Barrett is: original member of Pink Floyd, but also mentor, muse, artist, and musician. Composer and musician Adriana Rubio inspired by his paintings used them to create songs, and she did this using synesthesia methods. Now this is where thing get weird and need further explanation.

Garden Music Project Inspired by Syd Barrett's Artwork Band Photo

Garden Music Project: hippy dudes.

According the the Wikipedia entry (a wholly reliable resource, of course), synesthesia "is a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People who report such experiences are known as synesthetes." In other words, Rubio looked at the artwork and this automatically and involuntarily caused her to write this music. Pretty freaky, huh? Rubio claims that she and possibly Barrett himself are synesthetes.

Anything that takes this much explanation via a prelude should be, you would think, rather impressive or interesting. Or not. Pardon the pun, but the music within is garden variety Sixties melodic, psychedelic, and progressive rock, perhaps even a bit experimental. If anything it might remind some listeners of what Barrett would have composed back in the day. If that was a goal of Rubio and her music, then, in some sense, she's succeeded. Mostly it reminded me of what would happen if you crossed Pink Floyd with psychedelic era Beatles.

Yet, part of the problem with this recording is that there is no explanation of what painting inspired which song. You would think that would be of some interest, even something crucial to understanding both lyrics and music. But, alas, there is no explanation forthcoming. And maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe you shouldn't care. In the end, I didn't, and maybe that's the problem. The fact that I had to go through all the trouble to understand how the music was created did not endear Garden Music Project to me. As I said many sentences earlier, this is typical Sixties psychedelic progressive rock, generally well-crafted, mildly interesting, but probably best reserved for sipping herbal tea or doing bong hits of your favorite weed.


Garden Music Project - My Ladies



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In Short

Garden Music Project is garden variety Sixties psychedelic progressive rock, generally well-crafted, mildly interesting, but probably best reserved for sipping herbal tea or doing bong hits of your favorite weed.

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