by Jon Shina (@___flower___sounds___)
Disclaimer: Jon released this record through his record label, Flower Sounds. While you could call his opinions bias, there’s no real glory in running a small independent record label, and it’s done (much like Post-Trash) all for the love of music. It’s an attempt to share the music he loves, and he happens to love this record a whole lot.
Sunshine and good weather doesn’t always correlate with good vibes and warm thoughts. For the Los Angeles based band The Fruit Trees, location doesn’t seem to be a large factor in the DNA that makes up their sound. The 24 tracks on We Could Lie Down in the Grass feel more out of a short Winter night in Scandinavia, than a warm sunny beach day in Malibu. Although, with 24 tracks, this album does vary all over the map.
It is quick however to pick up on the more melancholy and heartbreaking moments of We Could Lie Down in the Grass. One large gaping black hole of depression that sucks you in, is one of the best songs you’ll hear this year titled “The Most Unlikely Place.” This is one of those songs that grabs you in the first milli seconds of hearing it, and keeps you memorized till the end. “The Most Unlikely Place” is pure vulnerability, with no emotions held back. It is an incredible work of songwriting by the main creative singer-songwriter of The Fruit Trees, Johnny Rafter. It is also one of the best uses of his vocal stylings on the album.
We Could Lie Down in the Grass isn’t all sadness and darkness. Immediately after “The Most Unlikely Place” is the whimsical track “Palaces,” a more glass half filled nostalgic walk through the park. The song is whirling with harps and pianos that are competing for who can transport you through the best dream sequence. It’s uplifting, but it still has that tint of sadness and breakup that runs rampant throughout the whole album.
We Could Lie Down in the Grass is the sophomore album from the very prolific Johnny Rafter, and with the amount of music he has been releasing these past two years, it is very fun and interesting to watch the growth of this new artist rising out of the Los Angeles scene. Maybe 24 tracks is too much for an album, and he could have focused more on honing in half the songs, but with the amount of output that this young artist is putting out, it appears that he cannot be contained to artist norms, and we should sit back and listen to this explosion of prolific output.