Album Review: Holy Sons’ “In The Garden” Shows You The Morality Between Sins And Mistakes
Holy Sons, is a one-man band of prolific musician Emil Amos (also known from Om, Lilacs and Champagne and Grails). Those are a lot of bands for one guy, but a genius has several identities, which explains why his new record In The Garden is a layered experience of a man’s creativity. Although synchronized and fluid, the record feels like you have a entered a boat headed straight for the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve are fascinating, biblical figures because they were the first human beings to ever make a mistake. Yes, we often think of them as the ones whom opened humanity’s door to darkness and began the vicious cycle of sin that has tormented it since. Yet, In The Garden is an observance of the blame, self-loathing, and redemption that comes with making mistakes in life. We all have committed errors that have affected others and have lived long past our initial intentions, to which In The Garden analyzes the motives, effects, after-effects of our human decisions through a pop-odyssey sound.
As can be seen, Emil Amos has a long history in music, and this is his thirteenth album as Holy Sons. First, let me applaud him on reaching this illustrious goal, and showing that long careers can be consistently fruitful. To make a thirteenth album as sonically invasive as In The Garden is an ode to creativity’s vastness. Yes, I used the word invasive because In The Garden is jeeringly intimate with 70’s folk-pop/90’s indie rock vibes that mix to serve you a poignant analysis into human mistakes. Amos has a voice that could easily sound like the mind: soft and piercingly persistent. Thus, his spiritual theme/fascination with the rises and falls of human morality, makes the record a must for those intrigued by the nuances of the soul.
Being human can often feel seasonal, which is a term that also describes the overarching ambiance of In The Garden. Lyrically, Holy Sons’ is ans alchemist that observes the enlightened and darkened trades a person makes through their choices. For him, every struggle has a pay-off, but that “pay-off” does not need to be positive or negative. It has no moral ties in consequence compared to intention, which is why In The Garden does something innovative in its execution: it makes you think differently on humanity from how you thought prior to its listening. You go from seeing Adam and Eve (i.e.humanity) as the “creators of the original sin” to the “makers of the original mistake”. The difference in mentality is staggering and breeds compassion when combined with Holy Sons’ lulling, seemingly eternal string arrangements and his pensive, plush voice.
I love when an album surprises me with moral insight and its ability to make my mind wonder in depth. Holy Sons’ In The Gardenwill make you want to observe humanity with a heartfelt empathy and a non-judgmental perspective. I cannot say there is a favorite track for this album, as I usually do, because each song nicely flows into the other to build a musical world and a universal sense of humanity. For More Information on Holy Sons and to Buy In The Garden Click Here.
