Mirrors. Linnea's Garden

With Mirrors, Linnea's Garden has thrown overboard all inhibitions, all pretending, all ways of trying to please. On Mirrors the world finally gets the real thing, without holding back. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Linnea Herzog has released her inner punkrocker and lays it at the feet of the listener and the world has become an incredibly better place because of it.

Linnea's Garden has featured regularly on this blog over the past few years. Her previous songs were nice and I've played them quite a bit. With Mirrors the band moves into another league. It is louder, tougher, rougher, and simply better. The trio, besides Herzog, bassist Hands and drummer Ray Clough, rocks the whole time, even when holding back a little, as in 'Seeds'.

The album opens with the single 'Pathological Liar'. I have already lauded that single recently, but nothing's keeping me from doing so again. Just listen to the way the song begins. It's a statement, a declaration of intent. As loud as 'In Utero' opens, just not as dissonant. 'Pathological Liar' is a great punkrock song, one of the best I've heard this year. Up there with the best of Iggy's latest record, with Rancid's single 'Tomorrow Never Comes'  and Green Day's new single, Look Ma, No Brains!'. The energy Linnea's Garden managed to capture in the New Alliance Audio studio! I can only imagine the smiles on the trio's faces when they were getting this together, let alone when hearing the end result.

No, this level of punkrock heaven is not matched again on Mirrors. Mind though, even if I would end my review here, buying Mirrors would still be recommended, as 'Pathological Liar' is a must have.

The rest of the album is very good. 'Big Mirrors' intro comes close and again the energy captured is phenomenal. Clough pounds away, while keeping the rhythm nice and tight. The dirty bass underneath gives the song a rawkish foundation. The two guitars, one dirty, one nice, do the rest. A Ronny Wood style solo from his The Faces time ends 'Big Mirrors' in a way it deserves.

'DB3', a David Bowie dancing party, is cleaner in sound. Again that energy comes across. The lyrics do not leave a lot to imagine about what the end of the party could be like. Go for it, Linnea! The song is tightness itself. There's no polishing, this is the real thing.

What I also like about Mirrors. I've got the impression that Linnea Herzog stopped trying to sing "pretty". We hear her natural voice on Mirrors and she sounds totally convincing because of it. I can name hundreds of singers who can sing better, but not on these songs. Again this is the real thing.

The five song mini album ends with another punkrocker called 'Comeback'. More in the style of New Zealand band The Beths, the song comes across as an urgent message to someone. A message we are all allowed to hear, luckily.

The album ends in a sonic storm of guitar noise but by then Linnea's Garden has made its point. Mirrors is an album of urgency shared with all who want to hear it and because of the quality on hand ought to become an album of importance as well. Yes, I've heard better over the years but not that much better and seldom matching quality with this level of urgency. By the way, 'Pathological Liar' should lead any punkrock chart around the world, says,

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Mirrors here:

https://linneasgarden.bandcamp.com/album/mirrors