Plants - Photosynthesis

Portland, Oregon's Plants are blossoming into one of the most expansive ensembles emanating out of today’s psychedelic underground. Formed by the wedded musical partners Joshua and Molly Blanchard to explore delicate acid-folk terrain, Plants have evolved well beyond their sparse and mystical roots to sail along a rich and diverse confluence of mind-enhancing streams.  2006 bore witness to a trilogy of recordings, from the quivering folk of their debut The Mind is a Bird in the Hand (Audio Dregs) to music captured in yurts and bunkers along the Oregon coast (Totem CDR, Audio Dregs) and the pillow-prog odyssey Double Infinity.  Reaching deep within, Plants unfurl Photosynthesis, a haunting foray into gently rippling netherworlds. Aptly named, Photosynthesis illustrates the subtle skill in which Plants extract and blend a variety of sounds to concoct a heady elixir of minimalist psychedelia. A rotating cast of support for the husband and wife core offers a diverse array of instrumentation, including acoustic/electric guitars, cello, singing saw, organ, electric tones, and a guest appearance from Jason Buehler of the band Nice Nice on banjo and “piano box”. Gently swirled together, Plants invoke images of a quiet solstice ritual involving early Popol Vuh, the fusion-folk of C.O.B., and a flower-powered, V.U.-era John Cale. Haunting and ethereal, Photosynthesis is a fresh new perspective from the West Coast folk-psych scene.

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