Excellent Birds is the alter ego of Annie Gardiner, an artist I have been in thrall to since I saw her support Run Logan Run at Strange Brew in Bristol a few years back. That was folk on the alternative spectrum, evocative and captivating, with her striking voice like a beacon at the core of her music. But recently she set up her own label and released Jungian Stomp (songs from the PSR-90) (I reviewed it here) breaking free from folk’s orbit and into a set of outstanding songs inspired by the Yamaha’s PSR-90 synthesiser with songs ranging from 80’s synth-pop to dance culture.
When I got the email about the release of Digital Leaves I wasn’t expecting it to be her first foray into ambient music, especially one that inspires such a sense of Zen contemplation. The project was inspired by Hiroshi Yoshimura a Japanese pioneer of ambient music who said,
“not all interiors are visual
by nature; music as interior
is none other than the
interior of the heart”
The album is made up of three tracks totalling just under 45 minutes with each one being named after a plant:
‘Lotus’ has the feeling of a calm pond with occasional notes like water drops falling in like the precursor to rain. A hint of a field recording of birds (couldn’t tell if they were excellent or not) drifts in at the halfway point, a tantalising flutter of the organic mixed in with the digital.
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), sometimes known as a water lily and is the national flower of India and has been studied for its pharmacological effects, potentially as an anti-psychotic.
‘Tetrapanax’ sounds like windchimes resonating in slow motion. Mellow keyboards swell, and half-heard sounds creep into the background and then disappear as if brought to your ear by the wind. It’s only towards the end that the track swells into life and we get a tiny glimpse of AG’s voice, an ethereal visitation held so low in the mix you feel the need to lean forward to hear it more clearly.
Tetrapanax (Tetrapanax papyrifer) is the ‘rice paper plant’, the pith of which is central to the production of rice paper and also used in Chinese medicine to ‘remove dampness from the body’.
‘Giant Butterbur’ has slowly undulating organ sounds that grow and become more layered over the course of the track. I got the sense that this nature is being interpreted as a place of worship, somewhere for reflection and contemplation.
Giant Butterbur (Petasites japonicus) is native to China, Japan, Korea and Sakhalin, and also used in Chinese medicine to treat asthma and gastric issues. Annie is pictured standing amongst the leaves of one on the cover.
Digital Leaves demonstrates what ambient music does best: create mood, foster calm, and evoke a landscape of the mind. When you are as accomplished a player and singer as Annie Gardiner is, achieving this is all the more impressive. Doing just enough is harder than you might think because ego is the enemy of relaxation, you must put aside musical dexterity to be in the moment and this album takes you by the hand and gently guides you into a very relaxed space.
Excellent Birds/Annie Gardiner: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Digital Leaves is released on Annie’s Crystal Fuzz Records label and available as a download, stream or limited-edition cassette.
Review by Paul F Cook
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