Jacco Gardner - End Of August - Green Vinyl (/500)

Jacco Gardner - End Of August - Green Vinyl (/500), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Trouble In Mind (2013)

This is the 2nd single that Trouble In Mind has released from Jacco Gardner. While it's certainly not my favorite kind of music out there, I can say that it is infinitely more listenable than his previous offering. Jacco is playing really laid back, ornate psych-pop, but has toned things down a little, to his benefit.

"End of August" seems like it could have been written by a more subdued Donovan who decided to tinker around with some more vocal effects. The B-side "Notus" is an instrumental that while not a spectacular showcase for Jacco's musicianship; is still a reasonably interesting wander. It's actually a very good pair with the "End of August" A-side as it too kind of conveys a gradual change-of-seasons kind of tone.

Not my favorite Trouble In Mind record, but better than I thought it would be based on how I felt about his prior 7".

Jacco Gardner - End Of August:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=91hDm-cVQuM

Record Store Day Haul #10: V/A - Trouble In Mind Compilation 7" - WhiteVinyl (/2000)

Record Store Day Haul #10: V/A - Trouble In Mind Compilation 7" - White Vinyl (/2000), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Trouble In Mind (2013)

Yes, I am still going with Record Store Day releases. I have a few more to get to, but will finish up this week. I've also received everything that friends picked up for me in other parts of the country (& world) and mailed over, so I'll be able to go straight through all of the Record Store Day records I bought without having to skip a day.

Every year Trouble in Mind puts out a Record Store Day 7" of bands from their label doing cover songs. It becomes an annual hunt as the stores by me never stock it. But, each year I do manage to track down a copy. It's always an important record to pick up as I am sitting on a complete collection of Trouble In Mind 7"s on colored vinyl (been buying since day 1!) and need to keep it complete.

That being said, this yearly compilation is never anything particularly exciting. This year, I really like the Resonars song, but the other three bands (Jacco Gardner, Mmoss & Maston) just don't do anything for me. When Trouble In Mind is doing pop or garage rock they can do no wrong, but they also put out a lot of throwback psych bands. The psych revival thing is just going completely over my head. I don't think the bands are necessarily playing anything bad; I just don't like psych (or the kind of music everyone seems calling baroque or chamber pop).

Still, happy to keep the 7" collection going and you know I'll be on the hunt once again come Record Store Day 2014.

Jacco Gardner - Where Will You Go 7"

Jacco Gardner - Where Will You Go 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Trouble In Mind (2012)

I'm not certain if there is an actual buzz out there for Jacco Gardner or if I just hear about him a lot because I follow Trouble In Mind on twitter. Regardless, I feel like his name is out there quite a bit for a fellow with only two 7"s to his name. When phrases like "baroque" and "chamber pop" are being used to describe music, I immediately assume I can just replace those phrases with "pretentious garbage." While that is not the case with Jacco Gardner (I don't find him pretentious at all), this is a record that's absolutely not for me.

I guess I just don't like psych. The music or the TV show. There's just something about the swirling, underwater sounding, hippie vocals that just rubs me the wrong way. I think the music on this record is OK, but the vocals just kill it for me. Not a fan. I am happy to buy the record and keep my complete collection of Trouble In Mind 7"s going strong, but I'm going to pass on his upcoming full length.

Jacco Gardner - Where Will You Go 7":
jaccogardner.bandcamp.com/album/where-will-you-go