Botanica
Who You Are

"A victory a day keeps suicide away..." (Botanica)

Botanica is a small, great, unknown New York band. Led by former Firewater member Paul Wallfisch, they have been producing little gems of excellent Baroque Rock and Pop for about ten years: in their albums (the one reviewed is the sixth of their career, released in February 2010) but also in various collaborations and/or soundtracks (the most famous film where you can find one of their songs is "Dummy", 2002, by Greg Pritikin with Adrian Brody and Milla Jovovich). Featuring a lineup whose members, apart from the already mentioned keyboardist and singer Wallfisch, include guitarist John Andrews and bassist/singer Dana Schechter (also in Bee and Flower), they have always enjoyed a wide array of excellent collaborators (here is a list): the latest (and my favorite) is drummer (former? The Dresden Dolls) Brian Viglione. Their discography has been troubled: at the moment, they are produced by the German independent label Rent A Dog (and for this, I will never stop thanking Motor Fm who introduced me to them and many others).

The Album (on their website, you can listen to it all in free streaming):

01 "Who You Are", 02 "Witness" 03 "Cocktails On The Moon" 04  "You Might Be The One" 05 "Anhalter Bahnhof" 06 "Xmas" 07 "Perfection" 08 "Because You're Gone" 09 "For Love" 10 "Backlit" 11 "Whispers And Calls" 12 "So Far From Childhood"

I wrote about Baroque Pop and Rock; in reality, Botanica offer a remarkable range of sounds from the indie universe: gypsy and chamber rock, post-punk, punk cabaret with a sprinkle of classic Pop (Beatles) and Rock references (early '60s Anglo-American psychedelia). "Who You Are" not only confirms these tendencies but moves in an elegant atmosphere, sometimes vaguely Blues but never "depressed", at times "flitting" towards decidedly dreamlike acoustic shores (thanks to the use of vintage-style instruments like the Optigan) and nostalgic when the strings make an appearance, always used unobtrusively. An album that offers decidedly fun moments like "Perfection", others in the style of an old smoky tavern like "Anhalter Bahnhof", and still others that recall Dream Pop rides like "Xmas": all in a "soft" context even when shrill guitars emerge and when the singing is distorted. 

An album that is light but not trivial: suitable for afternoon tea or for focused listening. 

Mo.