The Strange Flowers
Crossing A Wasteland

Here come the Pisa-based Strange Flowers again, one of the historic bands that emerged from the garage-punk and psychedelic musical ferment of the mid-'80s and early '90s that took hold in Italy, following the trend abroad. The scene of that period, unfortunately overly hyped by certain specialized media, was a real breath of fresh air for those who did not resonate with the prevailing plastic sounds of the time. Their Music For Astronauts from 1993 is still a cult record today. The cover and notes were the work of the great Rudi Protrudi of the Fuzztones. The Strange Flowers have always had a nice psycho-pop feeling that has made their sound fresh and captivating. The new album (their ninth) titled Crossing A Wasteland, is the result of 2 years of work and was independently recorded by the band. There is undoubtedly a meticulous attention to detail in the arrangements and an attempt to achieve a homogeneous sound. The style is, as always, rich in '60s influences, very varied, and manages to be engaging from the first listen. After the instrumental opening of “Street Market In The Sea,” the subsequent “Extremities Somehow” is an oriental-tinged psychedelic song. “Mother Eagles” is instead an acoustic ballad that borders on folk. In “A Transient Landing,” the piano takes center stage while “Dressed In Light And Tears” is hypnotic and just acid enough. “Horses” begins with a nice pulsating bass and has the nostalgic aftertaste of the '60s. The journey continues with the lively “Take Me Away” and the calm “Thinking Of Brian In A Foggy Day,” with the piano again in the foreground. “Love In The 21st Century” manages to be intense and enveloping. The close is entrusted to the title track with guitars in great prominence. Fortunately, there are bands like Strange Flowers that have not lost the ability to spread the psychedelic gospel. Crossing a Wasteland will be released on vinyl on October 1st by Onde Italiane-Rubber Soul Records and in digital format by Area Pirata. Here's the link to listen to and download it on Bandcamp: https://areapiratarec.bandcamp.com/album/crossing-a-wastland.