Jacco Gardner - Cabinet of Curiosities

It's a hard realization to discover that the world may not be as magical and wondrous as you once believed, & reconciling one's loss of innocence and sense of naïveté is a theme that reoccurs often in art, music, and literature. From 'To Kill a Mockingbird' to 'God Only Knows' the best articulations of lost youth can have a very visceral impact. The 12 tracks that make up the debut album "Cabinet of Curiosities" from Dutch multi-instrumentalist and producer Jacco Gardner deftly explore this territory in a far more accomplished and mature way than you would expect from a 24-year-old, fulfilling the promises made by his first two singles.

Jacco's melodic palette colors music with a more U.K.-sensibility, where minor chords & plush harmonies brush up against strings, mellotrons, harpsichords & an occasional squeezebox. The overall feel is more Zombies than Left Banke and more Nirvana & Billy Nicholls than Beach Boys & Van Dyke Parks. The title track "Cabinet of Curiosities" is an instrumental reminiscent of the best of Curt Boettcher's projects like The Millennium and Sagittarius with its playful baroque arrangements. 'The One-Eyed King' and 'Chameleon' delicately evoke a softly waning sunset melancholy while 'Puppets Dangling' slinks forward suggestively at first, unfolds into an expansive, string-soaked chorus, before winding back into a taut melodic denouement.

Recorded & engineered at his "Shadow Shoppe" Studio in Zwaag, The Netherlands, "Cabinet Of Curiosities" features Jacco playing every instrument (save the drums, deftly played by Jos van Tol) & was pre-mastered by Jan Audier - famed engineer of Dutch garage/psych heavies Q65, The Golden Earrings & The Motions on his vast array of authentic Sixties analog gear.

RIYL: Syd Barrett, Zombies, Left Banke, Dungen, Tame Impala, Foxygen