Bran Van 3000's fourth album was released on October 19, 2010.
I wasn't crazy about this album on the first listen. It started out slow - where were the beats and funk I had come to expect from this brilliant Montreal collective force? Knowing BV3 had put out three solid albums previous to "The Garden", I replayed the album and my patience was rewarded. Now half-a-dozen plays later - this album is like ecstasy for the ears. It has a flow that must be experienced rather than explained; a sprawling, dreamy, dancey world that consumes you for 61 minutes.
Bran Van is great at blending many styles and genres of music, and making it work seamlessly. Here, on "The Garden", we get tastes of reggae, hillbilly, house, guitar rock, hip-hop, soul, and sugary sweet pop - all coming together to form energetic, upbeat, beautiful positive music. Lovely!!
"The Garden" is a more mature sounding record than their previous releases It explores themes of love, loss, growing up, moving on, and trying to make sense of the world around us. And, it still manages to be super groovetastic while being peaceful and meditative.
Is this the best Bran Van record yet? Not sure I can say that. At this time, I consider all 4 records to be of equal greatness - The Garden is a fantastic addition to the BV3 catalog. Let's hope for some live shows in the near future and that we don't have another 6-year drought, as we did between Discosis and Rose!
First single: Grace (Love on the Block)
Recommended tracks: Oui Got Now (#3), Grace (Love on the Block) (#7), Cowboy Hoot (#8), Jahrusalem (#9), World Party (#10), Saltwater Cats (#15)
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