Tear Garden "the Brown Acid Caveat"

Edward Ka-Spel of the Legendary Pink Dots and Cevin Key of Skinny Puppy have re-united after 8 years as Tear Garden. The album opens up more up beat than what I remember from them. Though over the span of their 31 years together they have covered a lot of dark and trippy ground, often wandering in the same sonic neighborhoods as Psychic Tv. I like how things get darker for "Stars on the Sidewalk" and when I hear this I think, I really hope these guys go on tour, so that's  a positive sign. "Amy's Personality" is more plodding in it's swirl of intangible mesmerism. A more electronic pulse is added to "Calling Time" . The more whispered English narrative of the vocals continues its chant like meandering on the more free form "On With the Show"  . I can hear Key's influence on the glitch filled atmosphere than I remember hearing on their previous albums that struck me as being more organic in its psychedelic pursuits.

There is a dark electronic throb to "Sinister Science".  Strings come in to give it a lusher sense of melodrama despite the continued understated vocal. "Lola's Rock" is more of a narration that makes me think of one of the interludes on Bowie's "Outside" album. Guitar returns on 'Kiss Don't Tell" to give a more organic feel, along with the sing song vocal that goes into a more Syd Barrett like cadence. There is a Stranger Things like vibe to the eerie moving the mood of "A Private Parade". This finds the song taking on a drone until it breaks down at the midway point and jumps back into the same droning groove. The synth melody wavers into weirdness toward the end so the song goes somewhere.

It sounds like more organic instruments are introduced once more on "Seven Veils". The vocals occupy a more conventional spot and finds them once again in the zip code of early Pink Floyd. This is prime real estate if you are psychedelic so it means they are doing something right for this comparison to be drawn. "Object" comes close to being a neo-folk ditty. Which is fine by me. Then some near Kraut rock weirdness with the closing "the Sound of Space Escaping". It's clear this requires more drugs than Pink Floyd was on for "Obscured By Clouds". While the first few songs are the best before the drugged lethargy sets in over this album I have no problem rounding it up to an 8.5 . I am sure would have scored higher if I still did drugs.

You can check out videos they made on their crowd funding page ....thanks Pledgers!, Here's a little video treat for you http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/theteargarden/updates/72374?utm_campaign=project13527 via @pledgemusic