Amelia’s Magazine | Our Broken Garden: Golden Sea – Album Review

Our Broken Garden Golden Sea
Our Broken Garden Golden Sea

Our Broken Garden is fronted by vocalist Anna Bronsted, more about sometime keyboardist with Efterklang, this the Danish group fabled for the same lush orchestrations that sweep throughout her second album Golden Sea. It was recorded in the countryside with friends Søren Bigum on guitar/keyboards, sick Moogie Johnson on bass and assorted other musicians when needed.

The ebb and flow of the ocean has influenced not just the name of Golden Sea but the entire rhythmical feel of the album, over which Anna’s luscious vocals float like the call of a modern day siren. It opens with the undulating notes of The Departure, a gentle wash of sound like the sleek undertow of waves, then moves into a more grandiose classical feel in the rich production of The Fiery and Loud, where choppy strings set the tone to create a dramatic backdrop for the staccato vocal. It’s as if the swell of the sea has picked up. “I’m all on fire… burns and blood…” Anna’s lyrics do not always make conventional sense, but the fluidity of English as a second language is poetically evocative.

In Garden Grow the beats have become more tribal. “Rip out my heart, if you have to…” Behind the angelically sweet notes there’s the dramatic threat of lurking doom but by Nightsong all is calm again as Anna channels the ethereal lyrics of Bat For Lashes, sighing of moons and tears… Share hypnotises with an intensely beating heart and The Darkred Roses ends with the lyrics “and the black waters arising…” before the eery sounds of a church organ emerge gently as if from the sea mists.

A totally hypnotic album to soundtrack those long winter nights. Golden Sea by Our Broken Garden comes out today on Bella Union.

Listen to it streamed on Sound Cloud here, or check out their myspace. They have just announced their biggest UK headline show at St. Giles-In-The-Fields, the parish church in the heart of London’s West End, on Wednesday 17th November. Tickets can be bought here. Catch our listing here.

The Departure by Our Broken Garden:
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Categories ,album review, ,Anna Bronsted, ,Bat for Lashes, ,Bella Union, ,efterklang, ,Golden Sea, ,Moogie Johnson, ,Our Broken Garden, ,St.Giles-In-The-Fields, ,Søren Bigum

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