Gardens are tranquil places, but they’re actually almost constantly
buzzing with activity if you examine beneath the surface characteristics. Sure,
you think of flowers and trees and grass, but all of that is growing and breathing and living, and
it’s all constant. Plus, other natural activity is almost in perpetual
movement: insects of all kinds move among the plants (bees, ants, beetles,
aphids, spiders), moisture appears and dissipates throughout the day, the earth
itself teems with nutrients and roots and growth
– if you take it a step further, gardens are representations of eternal life, a
metaphor that can be applied to humans as well, at least to the human imprint
on the natural world.
And gardens also bear the marks of human influence. Gardens are human
creations, by definition, a cultivated area where one’s personality and
consciousness are imposed upon the natural order. Ryan Dugre, a solo guitarist
from New York, has decided to wrap all these considerations into his
compositions, and Gardens (hey, there
it is!) is the excellent result. Instead of the natural world or an actual garden, Dugre has impressed
himself upon his instrument, along with some effects pedals here and there, and
crafted a deeply human and organic song cycle that blooms on initial
inspection, but really flourishes upon repeat listens.
Throughout the first half of the tape (and indeed, throughout most of
it), Dugre employs a treated, serene electric guitar, plucked gently for maximum
melodic potential, each note floating through sunbeams like pollen on the
breeze. “Parade” is the relatively busy opener, recalling some of Mark
Mothersbaugh’s best incidental music to Wes Anderson’s early films, but even it
is more content to exist than to intrude, either upon the listener or upon the
world. Many of the tracks follow suit – “Obscure Cast” even manages to recall,
if fleetingly, Sonic Youth’s “Little Trouble Girl” in its bent notes, and “Mute
Swan” is full of active arpeggios, and sounds a bit Spanish if you squint your
ears properly. Dugre switches it up in places – side A ends with “Eliot,” a
gentle, unadorned ballad on acoustic guitar; the instrument appears again on
side B, on the exquisite “Pin Drip.”
Don’t for a second think that unaccompanied guitar strictly means
ambient or drone music – Dugre doesn’t quite have the effects rig of someone
like Amulets. He also applies true kinetic sense to his compositions, arranging
them for active listener participation. In fact, only two songs reach and
exceed three minutes, meaning that Dugre is constantly changing things up. His
contemporaries include the Belgian-based artist Yadayn, American Football’s Mike
Kinsella, and ZS’s Patrick Higgins, all accomplished guitarists in this same
vein. I think if you’re looking for something along those lines, you’ll be in
good hands with Ryan Dugre. So sit back, relax, and strap on Gardens, and exist along with the
natural world in perpetuity, allowing it to thrive but caring for it if the
need arises.
--Ryan Masteller