I think it's safe to say we're giving Morty a try this week. Mort Garson's "Mother Earth's Plantasia" is week 5's album!, April 5th - April 11th. Already sounds rejuvenating to me. (I haven't played it yet, just saying.)
I just want to say that the first day I listened to this album it was on a verdant backroad drive to work in the rain on a gray afternoon.
I've been in love with this album for a few years now, so I have a bit to say about it still, even after that long-winded pitch. Hopefully you will indulge my ramblings again. One thing I find fascinating about Mother Earth's Plantasia is that it sits at an interesting nexus of cultural movements. In addition to being a work by an early Moog pioneer, it also very neatly fits into the 1970s US houseplant boom, which had been boosted by the publishing of the book The Secret Life of Plants, claiming that plants could respond to human energy and even music. These pseudo-scientific ideas seem to have influenced Garson here to some extent, though his daughter believes his more direct influence was his wife's love of plants, and that he wasn't composing this as a serious scientific pursuit. I like to think Garson just enjoyed the whimsy of the "feel-good earth" vibe. I think what makes this record special is how it's inseparable between sound and concept. The tagline "music for plants and the people who love them" really defines the entire album’s character. Even the artwork supports this: the simple, warm packaging runs counter to what people would think of the Moog in this time. Mort Garson had just shaped the public perception of synths as futuristic and sci-fi with his music for the Apollo 11 moon landing. Yet here he pivots and aims for the complete opposite, with the music focused toward the idea of the wonder of quiet, unmoving, and somewhat mysterious living things. Compositionally, he works toward that same goal, keeping things grounded in simple classical Western principles. He avoids dissonance or sharp tension almost entirely, instead focusing on creating a simple but appealing flow. Even when he throws in the occasional quirky chromatic twist, it’s more playful than challenging. It’s soothing without being boring, smart without being showy. I also feel his work here holds hints of early prog. His arpeggiated patterns and tonal flourishes echo what many synth-heavy progressive rock keyboardists were either already (Keith Emerson) or would be doing soon. He just does it in a gentler, more compact form. I thought about going through each track, but I feel like they all speak for themselves. I love the opening number especially and I think it is the perfect way to open the album and grab your attention. All his little quirky, punny titles also lend toward the vibe of the album. One final aside: I like the theory of a supposed connection between Mother Earth's Plantasia and Japanese composer Kōji Kondō, who wrote the music for Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. The resemblance between "Concerto for Philodendron & Pothos" and "Zelda’s Lullaby" (as it would later be called) is uncanny. Given the album's limited distribution, it's probably unlikely Kondō heard Plantasia. However...city pop artist Hiroshi Satō did release a hit cover of the Beatles' "This Boy" in the early 80s that included an intro melody strikingly similar to Garson’s piece. What's more, Satō was a bit of a Moog enthusiast. So it's possible Garson influenced Satō, who influenced Kondō. The idea that this fun little Moog plant album might have indirectly shaped the sound of Zelda and nostalgic memories for multiple generations tickles me. Alright no more from me. I've had my time. I am a big fan of this album! I'm glad to see that people seem to be enjoying it so far.
First: @Christøffer, we love your ramblings, don't stop at all. Then: the album. This piece of electronic music is, above all, a mood. So easy to get lost to it while you drive by, through the city, bringing you the greenish vibes to win over the concrete, or through a forest, elevating the trees' gentleness to warm our humanity. I absolutely loved Swingin' Spathiphyllums, electronic bossa, come on It's awesome for me to explore and find the origins of electronic music so far away in time, down to the moog, earlier with the theremin, such an amazing journey mixing science and music. Finally, regarding that chiptune-ish scent, is impossible not to link this to those early 8-bit videogame soundtracks, Zelda, Megaman... impossibly high-pitched arpegios brought me some old memories. P.S. LPAAC is giving me so much to discover, so much love for music itself... Thank you guys.
I can't really find much to say about this except that it's really playful and whimsical, and mostly a delight to listen through for the first time. I loved all the pleasant arpeggios and chords, and the total absence of harsh textures. I will say that I didn't get enough of a plant-growing vibe from it, though - these kinds of sounds and compositions from Moogs don't give off that kind of mood. I put it on while making breakfast one sunny morning. The one I enjoyed most was probably "A Mellow Mood for the Maidenhair", and I liked the closer, "Savage Snake Plant", a lot too, but you have to listen to the whole album to build up to those last two songs. "Plantasia" reminds me strongly of some grim 70s movies I've seen, so it's made me a little uneasy on subsequent listens. I also picked up on these tracks being very proggy but I didn't know until after listening to it that it basically predates prog rock and, in fact, inspired the whole genre when it comes to keyboard parts.
I genuinely love this kind of music in a different kind of way from my usual. Which, is like sucking down happy chemicals like a feral animal. This stuff makes me happy in a different, maybe healthier, way. I loved "Plantasia", "Baby Tears Blues", "Ode to an African Violet", "Swinging Spathiphyllums", and "You Don't Have to Walk a Begonia" particularly. I do have to admit, I feel like I've been initiated to the realms this pioneers* into already in a more recent form that I bet is inspired by Mort maybe. Ever played the co-op spelunking game, Terraria? Legendary. How about another wildcard, guys?
(Mother Earth's) Plantasia was a lovely little discovery. There is something soothing about it, which I can believe forecasted generations of early rpg soundtracks. Even though the album itself was uncharted territories, it felt somewhat familiar - as if parts of it had been keeping me company in 8-bit format while I was exploring some rpg forest on a gameboy back in 2001. A down-to-earth, good-vibes, humble piece of music. Glad it was suggested!
To minuteforce's point, I will say that without prior association it may not give off plant vibes exactly. My view on it is heavily influenced by a ton of retro-futuristic and sci-fi naturalism-type things I used to be into when I was younger, so the connection isn't hard to make in my mind. Makes me think of like vintage cutout displays of how plants work, with green LEDs showing the flow of chlorophyll and nutrients or what have you. The human curiosity toward plants moreso than the actual plant itself, if that makes sense.
For this week's wildcard I'll put in: Mystery Jets - Twenty One. Beautiful pop tunes, skilled musicians and good production. It's kind/sad/happy/poppy album, but with great sentiment. (and Laura Marling is incredible)(check her out). Although not from this album, take a taste from the Mystery Jets (the line: But an enemy is only what you fight them with, FIGHT THEM WITH LOVE always gets me!!)
I don't think I'm going to be chirping up very often, but I've had the idea to suggest Imogen Heap's 2005 album Speak for Yourself
I'm going to let others do the suggesting since I came in swinging hard with my last suggestion. Imogen Heap is a name I've heard that I've never had the chance to dig into. I would put my support behind that!
The only one I've heard of is Thrice and I have been a little curious about them. Though, the urge to go with the first suggestion that gets two voices is strong. Another thought, don't be afraid to repeat a nomination you made from a previous week. I don't think it's a bad idea to try twice. I think I'm feeling the Imogen Heap curiosity just a smidgen more.
I wanted to say I did give Mystery Jets a try, too. Might have to revisit them here n there to tell if I like them or not.
I don't have too much on this one. It's been a rollercoaster of a week for me. I didn't realize I actually had meme-level knowledge of this artist until I heard "the line" / "the melody" (Hide and Seek). While I didn't fall in love with anything here, I really appreciated how the instrumentals were so... strategic!, and deceptively understated. I was caught off guard a few times trying to listen past the surface. Unassumingly surprising! The brighter brights and female lead were a nice change for this week. I liked "Headlock", "Goodnight and Go", "Hide and Seek", "Clear the Area", and "Daylight Robbery". Plot twist, I'm taking someone's old nomination from out the dumpster and you can't stop me from suggesting it. Third Eye Blind's self-titled (1997).