Ginger Trees: Along With the Tide (2011)

Swedish band GINGER TREES was formed back in 2006 or thereabouts, and issued their debut album in 2008 in the shape of "Came the Morning". Following this production the band signed with Swedish label Transubstans Records, who released their second disc "Along With the Tide" in February 2011. A few months after the band went into hiatus however, a state they are still in at the time of writing.

Artists associated with Transubstans Records tends to be of the kind commonly described as retro-oriented rock, most often inspired by acts such as Black Sabbath, Mountain, The Doors and Jethro Tull. Vintage hard rock, frequently sporting a few bells and whistles. From the sound they explore this time around, it would appear that Ginger Trees is at least slightly an exception as far as that description goes. Yes they do have the odd compositions sporting a riff halfway borrowed from Tony Iommis repertoire, but on this occasion this element isn't a defining aspect of their chosen style, nor is it dominant in any manner whatsoever. Indeed, by and large the few creations of this ilk are among the least interesting.

Where this band and this disc are at their most interesting, it is when exploring the gentler, delicate landscapes. Relatively speaking however, as sticksman Johan opts for a hectic and energetic display throughout, often with what I'd think of as a slightly jazz-oriented style. In a subtle manner that is. But the bass and guitar have more of a laidback style, slow-paced for the former, light in tone and slightly fragmented for the latter. Serving as a carefully crafted foundation for the powerful pipes of Rasmus. He's got a strong voice, able to handle the delicate, dampened moments with the same ease as the emotionally laden and powerful ones, and his input alongside the relatively careful stylistic expression explored often made me associate this act with now defunct Norwegian band Madrugada. In particular the sound that band pursued on their initial effort "Industrial Silence".

Ginger Trees does venture in more of an alternate universe to that band though, as their sound has more of a distinct blues tinge, while the chorus sections tends to stretch towards 70's hard rock to a greater degree with the powerful guitar and organ blend commonly utilized for those passages. Alongside a more distinct and powerful lead vocal. An additional trait for Ginger Trees is the inclusion of subtle details with more of a folk rock origin, and in the case of final track Kurukshetra ones with more of a psychedelic character to them are inserted as well.

"Along With the Tide" is a CD with a curious blend of gentle rock of the timeless variety and harder edged 70's art rock details, with occasional inclusions of vintage stoner rock elements. By and large a pleasant creation, where the most intriguing creations tends to be the ones exploring the calmer sides of their repertoire. Strong lead vocals manage to make these ever so slightly more interesting than what one might expect, while the careful instrumental foundation often manage to add in some nice and slightly unexpected details. As far as recommendations go, I'd think that quite a few of those who like Madrugada's debut album would find this album to be of interest too. This due to the similarities in approach and overall dynamics, even if the stylistic expression as such has it's fair share of differences.

My rating: 67/100

Track list:
1. Forever This Longing - 4:55
2. Ghost of Another Age - 4:33
3. Along With the Tide - 4:00
4. Poseidon - 7:33
5. Shadow of the Mountain - 3:17
6. New Day - 4:39
7. Breathe - 6:38
8. The Swirl - 4:40
9. Kurukshetra - 5:56