Flowers Forever Flowers Forever Rating: 5/5 Tracks to download: “American Dream,” “Wet Diamonds,” Golden Shackles”

Derek Presnall, guitarist and vocalist for Tilly and the Wall, has never confined himself to just one band. Having performed in the Flamboyant Gods and Dead Bird, Pressnall’s talents extend beyond those that he exhibits in Tilly and the Wall.

What is somewhat surprising is that this talent could be used in a way that might be even better than his work with the Tillys and while I’m not advocating that Pressnall go Sting on their asses, this is most definitely a work to be recognized.

As Flowers Forever’s video biography (which can be found at http://flowersforevermusic.com/videos) explains, “Flowers Forever is a project that surfaced a few months back in a string of strange events that occurred in [Pressnall's] life.”

It’s an outlet of performance, music, painting, video and spirituality. It’s about self expression and freeing yourself from the start/stop, beginning/end, A/B, morning/night of everything.” Pressnall’s lyrics in Flowers Forever drip with these themes. The performance aspect of the project seems to lend to more impassioned execution than one might expect from a studio recording.

“American Dream” is unquestionably the album’s standout track. Beginning with Spanish-styled horns and guitars, the song sets a strange tone only to abandon it for a more traditional one.

The lyrics are anthemic throughout, but no more so than in the outro when Pressnall and his female accompaniment chant “Flowers, flowers you will save us / cover our eyelids you will save us” until the Spanish motif is brought back to close the song.

“Wet Diamonds” is another clear attempt at an anthem and works equally well with more of a punk feeling than the rest of the album provides. In the chorus, Pressnall commands, “Look at your feet look down!” and sounds eerily like Tom Petty in his delivery. “Golden Shackles” keeps the tempo fast while sounding less punky. The way he delivers the vocals this time is reminiscent of another legend, Bob Dylan; that is until he begins the breakdown chanting “Some change better come! Yeah, change better come!” Nonetheless, throughout all sections of the song, both when noticeably channeling those who preceded him and when not, “Golden Shackles” is fantastic.

“Flowers Forever” isn’t perfect. Tracks like “Happy New Year” are more silly than they are actually good. However, when listening to the album as a whole it doesn’t seem to matter. The best this album has to offer more than makes up for the worst. “Flowers Forever” refuses to languish as just another side project.

With its anthemic lyrics, inventive instrumentals, and an undeniable passion for the material, “Flowers Forever” serves as a beautiful new stage in a great artist’s career.

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