Flowers Forever

Flowers Forever

[4/5]

Like silk roses, Flowers Forever are sleek to the touch, knitting baroque pop warmth to woozy, swooning, organ-fueled numbers. The rootsy undertone is consistent with label benefactor Conor Oberst’s oeuvre, evoking a similar homespun wobble but with a flamboyant punchiness that crosses into glam on “Wet Diamonds.” The music swirls like a fever dream, arriving out of a soul-stirring feeling of premonition that Derek Presnall (moonlighting from his role as frontman for Tilly And The Wall) channels into the music. “When will I know I’m reborn?” he pleads amidst the rushing calliope of “Black Rosary.” The vibrant psychedelic arrangements reveal hints of prog (evident in the anxious twilling woodwinds of “Golden Shackles”) and a sense of enveloping anguish recalling Of Montreal’s Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?. While not as accomplished as Of Montreal’s despondent tour de force, Flowers Forever’s still plenty charming, from the ramshackle rave-up “Jealous Motherfucker” to the brass-band bounce of “Beach Bum.” (TEAM LOVE) Chris Parker