Thousand Gardens Archive

Thousand Gardens, a “down-tempo, melodic electronica” project out of - appropriately enough - the Garden State, has released their third album.  Among its many notable attributes, it wins the award for best cover art we’ve seen this year.  Really sets the mood for the music within.

There are 14 tracks here, but with 6 of them coming in under 3 minutes (2 of those under 2 minutes!) it’s a digestible and extremely accessible entrée into instrumental electronic music for a casual listener.

Since release, this has become one of my go-tos for any task that requires a bit of concentration and a bit of emotional leveling. It’s also a phenomenal mood regulator on a morning when you’re not sure you want to get out of bed. By the time I get to “Saskatchewan”, I’m usually in the best headspace I can ever hope for on an average day.

Each of these songs teases out a single melodic idea or groove, develops it a bit, and lets it float away like the wisps of a dandelion. The effect is undeniably beautiful, and spurs no small amount of reflection, often taking your mind to places it wasn’t expecting to go.

Highly recommend picking this up for your library, even if you’re not typically drawn to this genre. It will find its way into the fabric of your life.