The Spark
Tall Owl, 2025
9/10
The New York multi-instrumentalist, David Garland, pens a personal album that surrounds grief and life’s possibilities, which arrives 6 years after his wife’s death from cancer.
“Feathered Stone” opens with Otto Hauser’s strategic drums that suit Garland’s gritty, soft voice and rich winds, and “Clean Up The Room” follows with gentle guitar and intimate singing that complements the touching climate.
In the middle, Garland uses prepared guitar for the light buzzing of the crisp “These Days” that benefits from Julian Lampert’s double bass, while “All With All” recruits Diane Cluck’s expressive voice and Kenji Garland’s skilled synth and guitar via the hazy delivery.
“My Tiny Life” and “You In Particular” exit the listen. The former carries a retro energy thanks to the colorful keys and Garland’s distinct storytelling, and the latter emits self-reflection in a calm, meditative finish.
Now in his 70’s, Garland turns loss into heartfelt poetry, where he plays modified 12-string guitar, guitar, prepared guitar, bass guitar, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, ocarinas, recorder, keyboard panpipe, piano, Hammond Piper II organ, Pro-One analog synthesizer, Star Island pump organ, harmonium, and percussion across a distinct, melancholic and atypical version of folk.
Travels well with: Charlie Bruber- Prized Burden; Joe Policastro Trio- Ceremony