by Ljubinko Zivkovic (@zivljub)
Even when she was part of A Hawk & A Hacksaw or Zach Condon's Beirut, Heather Trost was never an artist that would go for something conventional in her music. While you could possibly identify the origins of the music she was involved in creating, it was always a discovery process to identify the sources and/or the way they were combined. In the end, it was always the music that was inventive and fresh.
That creative process remains as far as Trost's new solo outing, Desert Flowers, is concerned. Again, with the involvement of her husband and constant music partner Jeremy Barnes (formerly of Neutral Milk Hotel and both of the above projects), Trost runs a gamut of musical sources and genres which she does with incredible knowledge and ease, creating constantly intriguing music.
“Maybe these songs are a bit like desert flowers,” explains Trost, “pushing their way towards the sun, and in turn searching and pushing roots deep into the ground for water. As above, so below, the light and the dark, extroverted and introverted, color and monochrome.”
From the totally unidentifiable introductory instrumental “Frog and Toad are Friends” that sounds like one of those Brian Wilson instrumentals for Pet Sounds played by A Hawk & A Hacksaw, to the total psych-out of “The Devil Never Sleeps” that could easily be a new Fuzz Club single, to the pastoral folk of “Blue Fish,” Heather Trost practically covers anything that tickles her fancy. She does it with a full understanding of what she is doing and what the musical result will be in the end. Along the way, her lyrical focus is as sharp here as her musical focus, making this a truly fascinating experience for all the listeners that venture the way of Trost's Desert Flowers.