New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Flowers Of Hell Official Website) Canadian-British Experimental Group Flowers Of Hell Release Covers Record Praised By Lou ReedThe Flowers Of Hell are proud to release their fourth album, Odes, an orch-pop covers record that received an early airing from
Lou Reed on his New York Shuffle radio show. Their current and past work has established them as an "artist's artist", with praise having come from members of The
Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine, Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, The Wedding Present, The Patti Smith Group, The Fugs plus Laurie Anderson and others. 'Odes' features The Flowers' interpretations of songs written by Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Siouxie & The Banshees, Laurie Anderson, Klaatu, Stereolab, Joy Division, Neutral Milk Hotel, Fleetwood Mac, and the Plastic People Of The Universe.
Based in Toronto and London, with a revolving membership of 16 or so musicians, the Flowers Of Hell are led by Canadian synaesthette Greg Jarvis who co-produced the album with
Peter Moore (John Cale, Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies). The album includes collaborations with British Sea Power's Neil
Wilkinson and Abi Fry (the latter being a founding member of the Flowers), as well as the Czech dissident musician Ivo Pospíšil, a key member of The Plastic People Of The Universe's many offshoot groups. Despite it's transatlantic influences, Odes qualifies as a Canadian-Content release.
Odes differs greatly in its tone and direction from previous Flowers' releases. 2010's O was an epic 45 minute abstract piece that sought to break beyond traditional songwriting; this time the group do the opposite, celebrating straight up songs as penned by their favourite writers. Known for their non-linear instrumentals, this is the first time the Flowers of Hell have released music featuring lyrics or verse-chorus-verse structures.
Each song covered on Odes was selected for a purpose. Jarvis had often wondered what Neutral Milk Hotel's 'On Avery Island-April 1st' might sound like if played by a classically trained trumpeter. Joy Division's 'Atmosphere' is a core influence on the Flowers of Hell's style and it's been done here with their signature sound. 'Muchomůrky Bílé (Destroying Angel)' is the unofficial anthem of the old Czech dissident movement and one of the original musicians from that scene, Ivo Pospíšil, agreed to do the vocals.
Before expanding into a full album, the initial sessions were intended to become a
Lou Reed inspired EP, hence the record's heavy
Velvet Underground influence. With 'Walk On The Wild Side' the group used the lyrics from a rare
Lou Reed demo taped before its classic verses were written. On 'O Superheroin', they celebrate the marriage of
Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson buy marrying 'O Superman' and 'Heroin'. 'Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft' was written by 1970s Toronto outsiders Klaatu, with lyrics from a paragraph that the International Flying Saucer Bureau's global members tried to simultaneously telepath into outer space in 1953. The result is a record that synthesizes great songwriting with the Flowers Of Hell's epic genre bending arrangements.
Praise for Flowers of Hell:
"They take orchestral pop to the next level." - Rolling Stone
"Stirringly evocative" - NME
"They balance stately chamber pop with noise." - Pitchfork
WATCH the video for 'Atmosphere':
https://youtu.be/ad9oz-YsVps
WATCH the video for 'Muchomůrky Bílé / Destroying Angel':
https://youtu.be/6t0y63G2DhY
TOUR DATES
Oct. 19 @ The Loop, WINDSOR
Oct. 20 @ The Harmony Hole, STRATFORD
Nov. 8 @ The
Silver Dollar, TORONTO
LINKS
https://www.flowersofhell.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheFlowersOfHell
https://twitter.com/FlowersOfHell
