It is amazing how much musical ground Floryence can cover in just the four songs found here. And, of course, the art of doing so is to get the balance right, the balance between being adventurous and yet not too wayward that the songs don’t sit together cohesively.
But Jared Gibson, the musician behind the pseudonym, knows precisely what he is doing, and the opening salvo, “Coffee Grinder,” sets out the sonic stall perfectly. Part singer-songwriter, part indie kid, the song is pitched somewhere between folk troubadour and a bigger band sound, and encompassing all of those styles and nuances prepares us for everything that follows.
“Ducks” is a modern indie-rock song that echoes all the quirk and creativity, all the alternative groove and frisson of New Wave. “Tailing Happiness” also seems to combine the past with the present to make music for the future, but here it is to The Cure’s more pure alt-pop moments that are brought to mind.
Things are wound up with “In Another Life, Mary Jane,” a heady blend of cosmic Americana meets slightly psychedelic pop, the perfect catalyst for the Laurel Canyon sound to be rediscovered by a new audience, the sound of an artist who knows where they are coming from and mixing that musical history with modern invention, the best of both worlds.
Mallard Cafe might only have four songs, but it covers more sonic ground than many bands do in a whole album, maybe a whole career. Yet, the magical thing is that as different as each song is, it is evident that they all come from the same pen.
Now, that’s clever.