flowers forever

It's tempting to look at someone going a little crazy and claiming they can see the future as a detrimental thing...

However, when Tilly and the Wall's Derek Pressnall was whipped into a frenzy by the conviction that he could see the future, his outlet for it turned into an intense musical exploration called Flowers Forever.

At times abrasive and demanding in execution, there is still a delicious wrongness to this collection of songs that calls for them to be listened to over and over...as if one more pass at the jangly, early Conor Oberst cacophony could yield some more concrete understanding. One thing I'm taking away from Flowers Forever is that there might be something to Pressnall's claim to be prescient in an intriguingly lyrical and fluid way. Take the stand out anthem for disillusionment, American Dream:


Beauty it will bloom
And truth it will raise through
Oh the river it will start to bloom
Yeah the river it will swallow you

Pressnall and his two new bandmates don't totally abandon Tilly and the Wall's addictive adorable-ness. The striding piano laden track Beach Bum is one that harkens to Pressnall's roots in huggable, danceable indie rock. However, being the Pavement fan I am, I can't help but love bursting, brief, acid rock tunes like Beautiful Tornado or Wet Diamonds.

Sure, I love the warmth of Tilly and the Wall, but if Derek Pressnall wants to convince me that he's turned into a full on prophet of the modern age, throw some wayward horns in, and complement them with dischordant vocals drifting off and drizzling into confusion and ringing. Be dramatic. Send me spinning into the outer reaches of musical wilderness. Build me some tension, scrape against the limits of what counts as pissed off righteousness versus hyped up whining...and then I'll listen again and again. Which is what Flowers Forever did. I can't exactly tell you why I'm repeatedly drinking the Kool-Aid, but feel free to join in.


Beach Bum- Flowers Forever

Wet Diamonds- Flowers Forever