treesandtunes

[treesandtunes]

Lulabelle III & some Sasafrass albidum

[treesandtunes]

Atom Heart Mother, Pink Floyd’s Acquired Taste

My friend Clayton but it best when describing this album,

“Atom Heart Mother is so cool. Very weird transitional album for Pink Floyd but it’s wild and has so much energy.”

I have to agree. The opening track, Atom Heart Mother, lasts around 23 minutes, is an oddly beautiful, chaotic and melodramatic piece. The orchestra is quite unique for a Floyd album, as is the choir, but that’s what gives this track it’s strange charm. French horns, melodic guitar, muted drums, groovy keys, and funky ass bass lines are what sells this piece for me. It took me several listense to hear all of these sounds on their own, even as I write this I’m hearing the keys pop out for the first time. This piece will definetly grow on you if you let it, turning into a stunning piece which makes you move your head and pound your heel. Interestingly enough, around the 18:00-18:20 mark, you can here the strange keys which haunt our ears at the beginning of Echoes.

The second side of the album features a solo track by each member of the Floyd. Defininetly the most calm collection of Floyd tracks, perhaps besides the latter tracks of the first side of Meddle.

If and Fat Old Sun are acoustic pieces which could feature in any coffee shop’s song queue. (Fun Fact: Fat Old Sun’s opening bells are the same on High Hopes on The Division Bell.) The Richard Wright track Summer of ‘68 is pretty funk, featuring brass horns which awaken you with their volume. The favorite track of my lover Melanie, Summer of ‘68 stands out amongst the other B side tracks with it’s energy and brass features. (On The Endless River, there is a track titled Autumn of ‘68)

Capping off the second side of AHM is the quite strange track Alan’s Psychadelic Breakfast. When I first heard of this track, I read it was  “17 minutes of some dude eating fucking breakfast”. Upon listening to it, I found it was much more. While yes, there are a lot of breakfast sounds, relaxing guitar reminiscent of A Pillow of Winds (which came after actually) flows between Alan’s acid-heightened breakfast. I find this song both calming and somewhat funny.

Listen to Atom Heart Mother on a rainy day (as I am currently) or on a midnight oil/ twilight drive. The obscurity of Side A and the calm tracks on Side B will float you along.

If I were to pick a tree to match this album, I would liken to Sasafrass (Sasafrass albidum). Sasafrass is a quirky broadleaf species which has a quite unique appearance. The leafs come in three distinct shapes and definetly stand out from the rest of the deciduous species of which it accompanies. Pick a twig and/or leaf and scratch it to discover the pleasant smell which is hidden within. Much like Atom Heart Mother, one must look past the quirky appearance and scratch beneath the surface to reveal it’s true beauty.

[treesandtunes]

Welcome all :)

Hello all, welcome to Trees & Tunes. On this blog I will be posting some albums and some trees, all with a little blurb about them.

I hope you enjoy :)