Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if the Dirty Projectors decided to move to the Armenian Highlands and produce an album while on a steady diet of vodka, LSD, and overripe fruit? If so, you’re in luck; that’s exactly the type of sound you can expect from Angel Deradoorian’s debut solo album, The Expanding Flower Planet. As a prominent member of the aforementioned indie pop group, the Dirty Projectors, Deradoorian has a great ear for wildly shifting vocal harmonies and bright analog synthesizers. The bubbly synths play wonderfully off Angel’s (appropriately) angelic voice, which is often overdubbed and modulated, as well as caked in reverb, giving the album a somewhat choral feel.
It’s hard to delve too deeply into the lyrics though, as they are usually either repetitive to the point of cult-like chanting, or drowned out by a sea of synth pads and reverb. There are a few exceptions, such as “Violent Minds,” which uses psychedelic imagery to convey a deep, visceral affection for some unnamed individual before devolving into yet more repetition. This album, while a bit cryptic and effects-heavy at times, is a welcome departure into a darker, more experimental realm for Deradoorian. A must-have for any fans of the Dirty Projectors or any of Angel’s many other musical works.
Recommended If You Like: Beach House, School of Seven Bells, The Dirty Projectors
Recommended Tracks: 1 (Violet Minded), 2 (Your Creator), 3 (Darklord)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Thomas Gottstein on 09/09/15