The Third Eye

The Garment District is the music of multi-instrumentalist and indie-scene mad-scientist Jennifer Baron, a founding member of Brookyln’s The Ladybug Transistor. We recently wrote about a single off the band’s new album called “Left on Coast,” and we wanted to review the album, as well.

Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of The World drops today (September 22) via Happy Birthday to Me Records, and it’s (I believe) the band’s first full-length album since 2015’s Luminous Toxin. 

Baron is a busy woman, and her resume in indie psychedelic music and other artistic pursuits is long and impressive. Baron heads The Garment District, but this new album includes the contributions of many others in her close-knit musical circle, including her first cousin.

About Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of The World

This new album was recorded in a friend’s home studio in the hills of Western Pennsylvania during the fraught times of the pandemic. Baron is the composer and arranger who plays numerous instruments, but she’s joined by, among others, her cousin Lucy Blehar, who supplies lead vocals. The album also features Gary Olson (The Ladybug Transistor), Kyle Forester (Crystal Stilts), Shivika Asthana (Papas Fritas), and a few others.

What’s remarkable about Baron and the new album is the plethora of influences and sounds she brings to the table – along with the multitude of instruments. There are the standard guitar, bass, and drums, but also a full suite of strings, horns, a variety of percussion, and keyboards. 

The Garment District also experiments with vintage equipment borrowed from Baron’s friends, including a rare 1970s Roland Paraphonic 505 and a 1960s UMI Buzz Tone Volume Expander. Don’t ask me where this gear appears on the record, but it’s safe to say they contribute to the kaleidoscope of psychedelic pop sounds. Baron is like a living, breathing museum of music history, and her breadth of knowledge and passion for the art is on full display in Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of The World.

The Songs

The album starts with “Left On Coast,” the single we wrote about here on The Third Eye. It’s a delightful neo-psych-pop song that features the jangly, shoegaze guitar you’ll soon come to love on this album. “Left On Coast” is also a catchy, radio-friendly tune that will draw in new fans and likely get some spins on the airwaves (if it hasn’t already).

“A Street Called Finland” comes next, another single that’s like a synth-wave throwback romp from the Eighties. The keys/synth work creates a danceable beat, and while the track is sweet, like bubblegum, it’s not so sugary that it lacks emotional depth and artistry.

“Following Me” comes at a slower pace, a chill track that still has a psychedelic flair. The song covers an unreleased 1967 tune by one of Jennifer’s favorite bands, The Human Expression, from Los Angeles.

“The Starfish Song” is another single, showing that Baron front-loaded the top of the album with the hits. The vocals are different, and I couldn’t identify which of the band members were singing, but I liked the deeper tones. Like most songs, it’s up-tempo and will have you tapping your feet.

“Seldom Seen Arch” begins with a synth sound that’s probably from one of Baron’s vintage instruments. It’s a wall of trippy sounds that hits just right, with excellent guitar and horn parts. It’s also the first instrumental track on the record.

“The Island of Stability” is another song that begins with interesting synth playing, and the vocals this time are monotone and obviously male. It’s fascinating how The Garment District takes all of its influences and distills them into a sound like this: the structure of a late-sixties pop song with the retro-futuristic edge of an Eighties pop dance track.

“Moon Pale and Moon Gold” comes in slick with a cool nighttime beat, meaning the track is aptly named. Lucy (I think) sings about watching the Northern Lights after the disco, ghost towns, and crumbling apartments. It’s surprisingly dark on an album full of light and airy tracks, but I loved it, especially the sound effects like chiming church bells.

“Cooling Station” brings us a beat that feels almost like something from a hip-hop song. The vintage synth breaks in with Green-Onions-like flair, but the song is another spooky one like “Moon Pale and Moon Gold.”

The album closes with “The Instrument That Plays Itself,” an intriguing track name. The guitar sounds like “Left On Coast” and other songs on the record, a jangly strum that soon breaks into a cosmic country twang. It’s an excellent track to close the album out with style.

Final Thoughts

Jennifer Baron and The Garment District have crafted an intriguing album full of wonders and surprises with Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of The World. The sounds are vintage without ever being copycats, and it all feels mysterious, like channeling spirits from Baron’s musical ancestors – both familial and not.

Baron has a background in museum education, independent crafts, and photography, so it wasn’t surprising the album feels like an elaborate photo collage of all her technicolor inspirations. You’ll hear a bit of everything on this album, from fuzzed-out psychedelia to hints of shoegaze, soaring melodies, and Eighties dance-pop.

Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of The World is good for fans of Free Design, Os Mutantes, Broadcast, and Library Music. It’s available today digitally on Bandcamp and also on orange vinyl pressed by Third Man. Grab a copy if you want to support Baron’s musical endeavors – you won’t be disappointed.

Purchase The Garment District’s Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of The World here on Bandcamp.

Support The Garment District by finding them on Bandcamp or seeing all their links on their Linktree.

Support Happy Birthday To Me Records by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).

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