I found this review of the Tear Garden and decided to post it as it makes an attempt to explain the type of music:
"The Tear Garden is a collaborative project between the Legendary Pink Dots and the most talented member of Canada's legendary trio, Skinny Puppy. Since these names may not ring very many bells immediately, I should probably explain further.
The Legendary Pink Dots are one of the most notable "psychedelic-based" bands currently in existence, though depressingly few people are aware of their existence. Based in Holland, the group has released a plethora of albums in the last fifteen years, gradually moving further and further away from the mainstream. Lead singer Edward Ka-spel has also appeared on various other projects.
Skinny Puppy are normally known as Canada's original industrial group, but there's more to them than just that. While the focal point of the band for many was the dubious talent of lead singer Nivek Ogre, the primary instrumentalist of the band was cEvin Key, whose talents might not have been appreciated within his chosen genre on their own. I have argued in the past that on song from SP's Mind album is actually remarkably similar to Peter Gabriel's "Zaar" in terms of the lead keyboard melody, though no one else seems to be familiar enough with both tracks to respond.
The Tear Garden is a somewhat psychedelic-influenced group, fusing the best of its two parent groups on Last Man To Fly. Most of the songs merit comparisons to Pink Floyd of the Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and Saucerful Of Secrets era -- Ka-spel's lyrics are more lucid than Syd Barretts', though no less disturbing; the music, moreover, frequently drifts into the free-form domains that Floyd were known for at the time (and which various new electronic groups have re-discovered).
Is is prog? Not really, I suppose; but it's the sort of thing that more adventurous prog fans would be interested in checking out (particularly those already familiar with The Orb, Future Sound Of London, Aphex Twin, etc.)
The album begins with two incredible tracks. "Hyperform" begins with Barrett-esque lyrics covering a sinister, atmospheric miasma. The connections to early PF could hardly be more pronounced -- the synth-heavy passage which later emerges in the piece is a deliberate hommage to Rick Wright, and even the drums sound like they were recorded with late-'60s technology. The primary theme of the song, of course, is space in the light of modern science, and the "learned naive" mannerisms here contained are quite convincing. A prog-psych guitar solo appears towards the end, and the "speaker to speaker" mixing of the closing section seems an obvious nod to "Interstellar Overdrive". Not the most original track imaginable, but still a triumph.
"The Running Man" is even better. Ka-spel's role is more lyrical this time (at first), and more melodic as well; the mystery lyric suggested in the title is never really explained, but it's fairly obvious that the character presented in the track has both a mysterious past and a predetermined future. A musical wall eventually comes to dominate the piece (with a shifting melody oddly similar to Genesis's "The Brazilian", of all things). About halfway into the piece, the track seems to deliberately fall apart; the vocals towards the end become deliberately agitated, the voice of a messiah losing his touch with reality. The end of the track is marked by a rather harshly toned guitar solo, and a general return to atmospheric musical ambiguity. This track is not so much a Pink Floyd imitation as a continuation of some general themes within they're work -- and it's unbelievably successful in doing this.
"Turn Me On, Dead Man" (the title of which refers to a line which can supposedly be heard by playing a late Beatles track backwards) is a bit less developed, but still quite good. The minimalist opening (combined with, of course, mysterious lyrics) yields to a chorus that seems more musical than much of the rest of the piece. The guitar parts in the background are particularly good, and the Gilmourian solo on the extended ending seems a nice touch as well (the telephone sound effects would seem to be a deliberate Wall reference). Credit must also be given to the bass performance near the end.
"Romulus And Venus" is something entirely different. Starting with poppier synths, this track turns out to be a parody (?) of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" (the first word of the song is "ever", sung in the same manner that "every" is sung at the beginning of the NO song). Any further doubts about the source of the satire are put to rest by a blatant imitation of New Order's "Blue Monday" drum line towards the end. It goes without saying that the music here is simpler than on the other tracks; nonetheless, the (i) audacity of the group to do this, (ii) the novelty of the work, and (iii) the fact that it's actually a decent pop song increase the rating substantially. The lyrics are more romantic, but no less obscure. Perhaps not surprisingly, a bit of "noise" is thrown in at the end.
"The Great Lie" is more "noise" dominated than the other tracks, suggesting a greater role by Key. The track begins with chordal drums over an abrasive electronic background; a more simple keyboard line follows, and a series of odd sounds comes to the foreground. The lyrics fit more into the category of religious skepticism than do the earlier tracks, and are not terribly distinctive as such. It's still a good track, but not as much as the others.
"Empathy With The Devil" is a strange one -- a graphic, Barrett-esque depiction of a series of grotesque hellscapes (marked, of course, with a bizarre reference to the Hallelujah Chorus). Musically, this is a more tranceless piece, with dub-ambient leaning and a structure which Orb fans should feel comfortable with. The bass is the dominant instrument here, aside (of course) from keyboard sampling. A crazed triumph.
"Circle In The Sand" begins with an ambient synth-piano part, and has a prominent (if somewhat simple) melody in the song proper. Its high rating, however, is attainted by virtue of an ambient section which appears halfway through the track, featuring a proggy guitar solo. Similarly, "Love Notes & Carnations" does not immediately seem to be a highpoint, featuring as it does a more "song-oriented" approach to the craft -- a catchy guitar riff and a "trick" whereby the music comes to overwhelm the voice push it over the top, though.
"A Ship Named Despair" is has a stately piano introduction, and reveals itself as a lamentation for a drowned(?) sailor companion (Robyn Hitchcock comparisons may be appropriate). Ka-spel is usually more notable for his lyrics than his vocals; in this case, though, his singing abilities are actually somewhat notable. This is a more balanced piece than some others on the album; it's also quite beautiful.
"White Coats & Haloes" and "Isis Veiled" are the relative low points of the album, although still perfectly listenable. The former has a curious beginning with a combination of acoustic guitar and signal distortion; a rather short track, it essentially falls into the category of Syd Barrett throwaways that were featured on his solo albums. The latter is a folky-surreal tune, which seems to be a sarcastic ode to a liberating army of bandits. Neither song is in any way bad, but neither is a highlight.
"Last Post" is another strange one. The opening contains a strange "Steve Reich meets Robert Fripp" quality, and the lyric seems to be a mock-tribute to a magical land of angelic beings. Before long, though, the music switches to swirling keys and heavier drums, and a free-psychedelic section (complete with found sounds) comes forth. The ending of this piece is quite demented, as the animal noises may punctuate.
"3D Technicolour Scrambled Egg Trip Down The Hell-Hole" is even more twisted, in its own way. The song begins in total darkness, with a harsh guitar tone and excellent sinister guitar lines. Then, it turns in a strangely relaxing direction, interrupted only by Ka-spel's demented screams in the background. In a palindromic manner, the song gradually returns to its original form. A truly inexplicable three-second guitar picking section concludes the album.
This is a strange and beautiful work. Prog fans might mind much of interest here."
The Christopher Currie
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 19 August 1997)
