The ‘70s seem to be making a resurgence. And, a decade into the twenty-first century we have The Flower Machine. C’mon guys, really? Judging bands by their names is not a good policy, but sometimes it is too obvious when a band is ‘70s influenced. Names aside, this is some pretty cool rock.
The music on Lavender Lane has a nonchalant style to it and this is heightened by the vocals of Peter Quinnell. His voice is incredibly mellow and static; which in this case is awesome for the music. One thing that really sets these guys apart from the hoards of ‘70s imitators out there is the fact that they keep their songs so short. They don’t have a single track on this album that breaks four minutes; and there is only one song that is four minutes.
As far as actual musicianship goes, Lavender Lane isn’t a virtuoso’s playground and it certainly wasn’t intended to be, but The Flower Machine use both a fuzz organ and a mellotron so their sound is anything but simple. This is definitely worth a try, its nothing groundbreaking, but it expertly redefines a very beaten path.
In A Word: Mellow
