Label Love: Simon Raymonde's 'One that got away…'

Our Broken Garden, the band created by former Efterklang keyboardist/vocalist Anna Bronsted, have released two albums on Bella Union. They’re perfect pop records, for those of us that like our pop to be dark and brooding rather than too light and shimmery. Recent release Golden Sea has, in fact, some wonderfully dark and broody yet shimmeringly spectral lights shining right through it – just in case you were wondering!

Some bands take longer than others to gain the recognition they deserve and while it is a mystery to me why bands like Treefight for Sunlight, The Acorn, Our Broken Garden etc. haven’t received wider acclaim to date, I have faith that ALL will in time. One only has to look at John Grant of The Czars who, at the tender age of 42, is showing us all that perseverance DOES pay off! The Czars released three albums on Bella Union that barely registered with an audience, and yet we always knew, believed that with the right record at the right time, singer John Grant could make a CLASSIC record and Queen of Denmark showed what is possible. Even Beach House and Midlake, two of our biggest bands took 2-3 albums to get widespread acclaim.

Our Broken Garden, I believe, will be the next band to deliver on all that promise. Those that witnessed their festival performances this summer will agree with me. The two videos shown here of songs from Golden Sea may have passed you by, so maybe now is a good time for a brief re-appraisal!

Simon Raymonde