Our Broken Garden

by Dan Worth

Out of darkness, comes light

"The slow pacing of each song and the thick fog of the production means that the hidden depths are revealed through many listens, each layer peeling away like an onion."

Often the mention of Radiohead leads to people immediately saying, ‘Oh God, so depressing…’ and then singing a pastiche of ‘Creep’ in a whining voice. But of course the reason Radiohead are so popular and successful, even as Thom Yorke proclaims himself ‘a creep’ and a ‘weirdo’, is that people identify with his words and, set against music that is at turns grandiose or sparse, provides a form of consolation.

Our Broken Garden has a similar ideal, the music and words coming together to create a sound and feeling that goes far beyond your average band and takes the songs to another level of quality. It doesn't give itself up on the first listen but requires you to take time to discover what lies beneath. The sound is its own and is unique enough to mean a Radiohead reference explains a similar style, not an identical sound.

The reason this works is because of the band’s driving force, indeed it's only actual member, Anna Brønsted – why she thought Our Broken Garden would translate better than her name is a mystery. Any name with an ‘Ø’ in it is surely memorable? Her voice is not dissimilar to Chan Marshall’s from Cat Power, a sultry, jazzy sound that draws its power from its quiet but intense delivery. She clearly doesn’t feel the need to pander to any pop sensibilities to attract fans, the songs often passing on over four minutes and not adhering to any obvious song-structures.

New album ‘When Your Blackening Shows’ – an enjoyably dark title – is sombre stuff that skulks along, with the production levels heavy and smoky, emphasising the phrasings of the piano chords that run through the album, and the scattered Hammond Organ lines that pepper most of the songs. There are no songs that come anywhere near upbeat but while each song is slow and measured, they resonate with an indefinable quality that few other bands manage at such slow tempo.

The slow pacing and the thick fog of the production means that the hidden depths are revealed through many listens, each layer peeling away like an onion, a rawness that shows a maturity and openness in Brønsted’s work, both as a lyricist and as a musician.

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