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Bloomsday – Heart of the Artichoke (2024)
Review:
A collaborative solo project since its inception, Bloomsday released a well-received debut album that grappled with themes of identity, Place to Land, in 2022. After netting tours with the likes of Courtney Barnett and Bonny Doon, Bloomsday singer/songwriter Iris James Garrison headed to upstate New York to record the follow-up in the studio of another dreamily intimate indie pop act, Babehoven. The duo's Ryan Albert produced the album. Some of the other contributors to sessions included Babehoven's Maya Bon, drummer Andrew Stevens (Hovvdy, Lomelda), and Place to Land producer Alex Harwood, and Slow Pulp's Henry Stoehr mixed the set. The resulting material finds the songwriter still exploring the hidden corners of identity and self-reflection, the nuances of relationships including friendships, and other personal terrain, as implied by its title, Heart of the Artichoke. Appearing midway through the track list, the song "Artichoke" opens with the hum of a keyboard and a multi-sensory memory ("I found your favorite T-shirt in the back of the car/Smelled like fire and bug spray/And your face in a flashlight at dark" ) before expanding to include folk-style guitar and a minimalist rhythm section. It eventually arrives at the repeated line "The heart of the artichoke leaves me wanting more." Such subtly and metaphor is typical of Garrison, who populates the album with evocative objects, cherished memories, sweetly wistful melodies, and plenty of yearning. Seeming to meet at the crossroads of Adrianne Lenker and Frankie Cosmos, a song like the lilting "Virtual Hug" covers catchy indie pop and earnest folk-rock territory while endorsing the "practice of patience" with regards to an absent loved one. While waiting for a text reply, the song has Garrison remembering playing with a neighbor's dog, the recipient's coffee order, and their favorite songs. This quiet devotion also surfaces on songs ranging from "Where I End and You Begin," whose lusher, layered textures support a lengthy electric guitar solo, and the naked "Carefully," which ends with a convincingly impromptu sigh. A gem of tenderness, Heart of the Artichoke ends on the frustrated "Old Friend," which, despite their display of altruistic sentiment, leaves Garrison still on the outside looking in. — Review by Marcy Donelson at allmusic
Track List:
01 - Where I End and You Begin
02 - Virtual Hug
03 - Dollar Slice
04 - Artichoke
05 - Bumper Sticker
06 - Night Swim
07 - Carefully
08 - Look After
09 - Object Permanence
10 - Old Friend
Media Report:
Genre: dream-pop, indie-rock
Origin: Brooklyn, New York, USA 
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)
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