ALBUM PAGE: http://englishgardens.bandcamp.com/album/english-gardens

English Gardens is a breakoff project by the bassist and drummer of the indie "beard rock" band Paper Astronomer.

I've known about both of these bands for quite some time, due to the fact that the guitarist of Paper Astronomer is the current guitarist of my favorite band, Falling Up. I hadn't checked out English Gardens till yesterday, though. And heck, the only reason I really checked this album out is because it's free for a short bit. That said, I'm blown away by this short EP.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To start things off, let's talk about the style: It's really stripped-down. That's due to the fact that it's written by a bassist and a drummer, and the only USE bass and drums. And vocals. They're not the main attraction though. The main attraction is that not only do they use solely bass and drums, but they make it REALLY FREAKING atmospheric. It's probably the most full-sounding music I've heard composed with only two instruments. The oddest part about their style is the vocals, which are reminiscent of La Dispute, though more melodic. Sometimes their a little off-key, but somehow it works well here.

The tracks: There are 3 tracks on this EP. "Lickety-Split," "GoldField," and "Fur Gloves." The first track is the most repetitive of them, but has the most dreamy chords out of all of them. The second track has a rather post-hardcore sound to it. The third track is the darkest and my favorite out of all of them.

Final rating: 5/5. 10/10. Perfect. There are no downsides to this album for me. Despite the repetitiveness of the first track, nothing can detract from the sheer style and slickness this band has to offer. I look forward to their next release.