Ancient Free Gardeners
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Ancient Free Gardeners

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The best kept secret in music

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"Ancient Free Gardeners"

If you departed the city of Folk and travelled toward to the city of Rock there is a town in between that is worth visiting. It is a refreshing place to stay a while and become acquainted with its inhabitants. They can be identified by a down to earth honesty but they dress with a quirky edge. Here dwell bands such as Wilco, Augie March and The Frames, all of which are well established citizens. Even the sage, Dylan has been known to stop off here from time to time. The latest residents have just arrived to remove the weeds.

Ancient Free Gardeners are a trio from Melbourne led by the songwriter and pruner-in-chief James Milsom. Their first release is a five track self-titled EP recorded last year in Gippsland. And what a statement it is.

Mr. Milsom makes full use of the English language, immersing the listener in his personal landscapes. He renders these vistas employing the broad strokes of poetry and metaphor. Botanical, nautical and literary worlds are created in order to express his thoughts, frustrations and relationships. Occasionally he gets self-conscious, such as on 'Mind Race' where he declares that he is "just one of those wankers. I whinge when I’m singing. But not many are living it better." He is right: the lyrics are at times self-indulgent, but they are still sung with a grin.

Callum Barter’s production give the languid songs a warm but raw feeling. At times the guitars can overpower the voice, such as on the waltz 'My Soft Bitten Thumb'. But this has to be forgiven because its climax is so euphoric and you find yourself anticipating it every time the song starts.

The band comprises of acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums. Subtle vocal harmony and tasteful keyboards were added in post production which add to the drive and the tension of the album.

A solid debut by these old green thumbs. Keep an eye out for what produce next comes out of their orchard.
- Nakeddwarf.com.au


"My Soft Bitten Thumb"

Ancient Free Gardeners' songwriter James Milsom has a knack for rhyme and a sweet turn of phrase, singing here about heart-break and small moments in the morning, and various other obscure but beautifully-expressed sentiments. On their self-titled EP, the sound is similar to Augie March, but less ambitious in the arrangements. They are slight, but they're sweet. - Beat Magazine


"Ancient Free Gardeners: Another from down under"

Universally analogous musical tastes appear to be growing stronger by the minute. Even though this site is based in the United States, I receive the majority of submitted albums from other countries all over the world; something that I enjoy considering my admiration for music that is not regularly played on declining American radio stations. One country that has been mentioned frequently throughout the past year on this site has been Australia. To a rather baseless person, thoughts of kangaroos and Crocodile Dundee will be the initial characteristics of “Down Under�, though music fans are one of the more consistent subcultures who tend to have a different and less stereotypical outlook, mainly thanks to the country’s blossoming music scene. Ever since fantastic bands like The Go-Betweens and The Church set a widespread tone for Australia’s clear and vibrant musical intentions, the 80s and 90s have served as a prominent outlet for quality Australian music. Actually, this current decade may hold some of the greatest Australian music talents that you will ever hear. I have featured the likes of Gotye, Julian Nation, Youth Group, and Dappled Cities, among many others on this site, though they are merely the rim of great contemporary Australian artists. Whether it’s the Western influence or the desolate geographical location, Australian bands appear to be riding on a string of recent success. The most recent one to catch my eye goes by the name of Ancient Free Gardeners, representing three musicians from Melbourne who indulge in their noted influences of country, alternative, and straightforward indie rock. The band’s core consists of singer/songwriter/guitarist James Milsom and “kiss-loving, grass-growing� drummer James Sewell. I know what you’re thinking and no, it’s not that kind of grass. Sewell’s day job is actually as an agronomist, which is someone who studies and inspects crops, soil, and grass. Though it may sound grueling, Sewell takes measurements of grass, measuring fields blade-by-blade. Watching grass grow may seem boring to most people, but Sewell’s excitable style of drumming proves that some agronomists are far more interesting and lively than their jobs may represent, even if the occupation of agronomy is indeed considered prominent in terms of wealth and knowledge. Milsom and Sewell met at a university in their native Melbourne a few years ago, with their first bassist, Damian Anderson, becoming an acquaintance of the two shortly afterwards. At the time, Milsom and Anderson both saw themselves in the form of musical comedians, separately writing humorous songs in the vein of Weird Al or Steven Lynch. Even if the songs lacked emotional depth or musical complexity, college audiences got a kick out of their imaginative comedic songs. Eventually, Milsom and Anderson felt that it was time to take themselves seriously to see what they were capable of as authentic musicians. Teaming up with Sewell, the three formed what is now known as Ancient Free Gardeners. They began to write songs together, with their style and content improving with each attempt.
After about a year of this developing process, the three felt it was time to finally record their material in EP form. After rounding up a bunch of experienced studio producers and engineers, the group ventured to a beach house South Gippsland, Victoria to record their debut EP with producer Callum Barter. In addition to Barter, they were joined by backing vocalists Tobias Cummings, Ed Billings, and Jane Hendry, along with keyboardist Adrian Vincent. Ancient Free Gardeners’ debut EP is a self-titled effort containing five songs, all written by James Milsom. The most noticeable comparison that can be made about the band’s approach is to The Wedding Present. Milsom has the same heavy sigh and deep presence of David Gedge. All five tracks on Ancient Free Gardeners are enjoyable in their own unique sense. The opener, “When Your Years Are All Returned�, begins with a steady rhythm section complemented by a gradual increase of guitar. The chorus is slowly built upon through a crash of Sewell’s percussion, signaling the successful transition. Adrian Vincent’s keyboards also play a vital role in the dramatic chorus, providing for a sense of twinkling optimism. The backing vocals of Tobias Cummings sounds much too similar to Milsom’s to distinguish any sort of imaginative effect, causing me to believe that the song may have benefited better without the backing accompaniment. Fortunately, this aspect is used more effectively throughout the other four songs. “My Soft Bitten Thumb� is more instrumentally and vocally excitable, displaying more emotion than the rather continuous “When Your Years Are All Returned�. Stylistically, it is more of the same with the fuzzy guitar and the longing vocals, though the chorus is more stressed through Milsom’s stronger vocals and Billing’s fainter use of backing vocals. One of t - Obscuresound.com


Discography

Debut: Ancient Free Gardeners - 'Ancient Free Gardeners'.
Tracks getting local airplay - My soft bitten thumb, When your years are all returned.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

‘Ancient Free Gardeners’ is the moniker for three recently Melburnian, country-bred indie-rocking gents attempting to make musical sense of the nonsensical musings of singer and songwriter James Milsom. Touted as sharing the sound-space of Augie March, The Wedding Present and even Prefab Sprout, the band are quickly gaining local recognition for their oft-waltzing, gently driving tunes, each one immersed in honest, organic emotion.

In one of the icier weeks of 2006, the band slipped into a reclusive makeshift studio by the sea in rural South Gippsland, Victoria with producer/engineer Callum Barter. Later, Melbourne talents Tobias Cummings and Jane Hendry (Great Fire of London) provided vocal harmony, with Adrian Vincent (Brendan Welch) working his keyboard genius over the tracks. Mixed at Newmarket Studios and mastered by Tony ‘Jack the Bear’ Mantz, the EP’s careful crafting was complete.

The band, including Kiss-loving, grass-growing drummer James Sewell and a swathe of casual bass players, are regularly gigging in Melbourne and plan to venture interstate later in 2007. The EP is out independently (online and in stores) on April 14, through Green (MGM).