The Churchhill Garden – “Heart and Soul Collection”

The Churchhill Garden – Heart and Soul Collection

The sensual and emotional dance of beautiful ballerina with hammock fabric . Photography technique with strobe

I have been interested in, and have purchased and listened to the shoegaze genre of music for decades. I have enjoyed the music of The Chameleons, The Verve, The Catherine Wheel, Curve, Mercury Rev, Lush, Mazzy Star, The Cocteau Twins, and (The Engineers; which I actually reviewed a few of their albums back in the middle of the last decade). It is a relaxing genre of music which enables some of the best musical dreamscapes and meditational experiences I have known.

I have to give credit to Black Swan Lane and their latest album Vita Eterna, for bringing me back to the genre and reigniting my interest in its music again. It was through a review of BSL’s album that I met Chrissy Vanderwoude, who introduced me to two new bands I had not yet heard. Her band Whimsical, and their latest album, Bright Smiles, Broken Hearts, and now The Churchhill Garden, and their latest album Heart and Soul Collection.

Shoegazing, according to Wikepidia.org, “Is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock that emerged in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It is characterized by its ethereal-sounding mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume”.

The Chruchhill Garden’s new collection of 17 shoegaze tracks will certainly allow you plenty of moments of reflection and time to ponder life’s mysteries and the rest of your life. Or at the least your goals for the new year!

The Churchhill Garden, “is a one-man band, based out of Lucerne Switzerland. That one-man is Andy Jossi. He is famous for his 12 string guitar skills and displays those talents throughout this album.

On the Heart and Soul Collection, Andy includes the wonderful vocals and musical talents of the following, well-known stars: Krissy Vanderwoude, Hideka, Craig Douglas, Alister Douglas, Demi Haynes, Ben Aylward, Andrew Rose, and Andreas Balaskas. He also includes a special guest; the guitar work of Sydney Australian rock band, The Church member, Marty Wilson-Piper. The Church famous of course for “Under the Milky Way”, one of my favorite songs of the late 1980s.

Every track on this collection is a winner. I simply enjoyed putting on my headphones and listening to the whole album from track one to seventeen, without interruption. Every track has that distinctive electric showering guitar sound along with that tempered drum beat and bass counter, with some elegant surprises.

My favorites include: “The Same Sky”, “Bittersweet”, and “In Your Waves”, with Krissy’s warm soft voice. “Polar Tales”, “Forever”, and “Sweet Dreams”, with some awesome guitars that make for a great Chameleons/Cure mix, along with vocals from Hideka. “Waking Up’, is the perfect morning hello. “Holding On”, with Demi Haynes’ voice is so dreamy. “Numb” takes me back to early Verve.

All of these fabulous artists contributed to one of the best shoegaze album collections to come out during September of 2019. I am discovering it here in 2020, but it is never too late to discover and listen to music. Music is one of the few things that is eternal. Better to have heard it now than to never have heard it. Please go out and buy and enjoy this wonderful collection of fantastic artists who have taken their time to create worthy music that can be enjoyed now and into eternity. This is a ‘best of’ collection that should not be missed.