A long time ago, we were playing drums in one of those band that would play every gig they could possibly get their hands on. Why? Because even though over-exposure was a thing, it was about connection. We’d make new friends, hear new music, and sometimes in the process you’d get a side quest that totally changes you.
For us, one of those side quests was playing at a small venue in Boise that had just opened up. We were in town just a few days too early to play Treefort Music Fest, but the venue owner was beyond gracious. He was part of the Treefort crew too, and even though the show we played wasn’t huge, he gave us reason to stay – tickets to see Deerhoof at the Neurolux.
Suffice it to say, the show was supremely intense and almost completely packed, but what we remember as much as any musical performance from that night was a profound speech about friendship from Deerhoof’s drummer, Greg Saunier. They had been playing with Skating Polly, who also played that night, and he really appreciated what they brought to the table. Like we said, this was years ago, but since that night, Deerhoof and its members have continued to inspire both musically and intellectually.
So when Laura Fisher told us about a certain Greg Saunier- produced record with hints of Bjork, Joanna Newsom, and Shiny Eyed Baby-era Bent Knee, complete with Saunier’s drums, we knew instantly that we’d be checking it out.
If you threw progressive pop, jazz, swamp rock, and a sprinkling of mystical herbs into a blender, the resulting sound would probably be something like Jess Joy’s WON’T BE KICKED OUT OF THE GARDEN. It might take a couple of turns, but beneath the constantly shifting elements is a unified mythology that commands attention, even on the songs that run well past the five-minute mark. Songs like “Berlin Bender” and “Thee Lover” ride the the top of the vocal stratosphere as they trawl the depths of Jess Joy’s subconscious in massively memorable ways, and it’s only right that they take their time getting there, exploring every possible avenue of expression until they conclude. It’s more theatric than cinematic, and actually there’s a good reason for this.
While WON’T BE KICKED OUT OF THE GARDEN is ultimately a safari or carnival of genre, the Bandcamp blurb helps point us in the right direction:
“WON’T BE KICKED OUT THE GARDEN is a psychological, romantic comedy-drama about holding onto love in a world on edge. Harkening to the original sin, your narrator, joy, is possessed by chaos and impulses of the id—she is/they are the rebel child expelled from paradise, the fallen angel. joy dips in and out of fantasies, fragments into sparring personalities, goes on a discordant bender in Berlin, glides on the heels of saxophones, takes a folk-baroque flight to the moon, and wrestles with dying synthesizer dreams before being called back to Earth by kin, where the only way to return to one’s body is through feeling the pain of grief. Produced and mixed by Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, the album was made with main collaborators Laura Fisher (Matron and Alex Brownstein, and with artists Sarah McTaggart, Jermaine Butler, Byron Asher, and Kenny Zhao.”
So if you find yourself lost, remember there’s a reason it sounds like bewitched, otherworldly swamp pop leading you to the edge of madness – It IS. But in the end, we think you’ll enjoy it. Saunier ends up being the perfect mad scientist to keep it all flowing, either with subtle percussion or grooving, lyrical drum parts. If you’re looking for something utterly new, a little bit scary, and occasionally profound, put on your gloves and head to the garden.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, Charity Water, Kindness Ranch, One Tail at A Time, Canopy Cat Rescue, or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that could probably use it more – click on their names above to check ‘em out if you’re so inclined. Thanks again!)