Fresh Mowed Lawn

It`s been a long time since we have heard from anyone in the Sun Sawed 1/2 camp, but the time has come for re-introduction for many pop fans with the challenging talents, stunning beauty and carefully layered soundscapes from Fresh Mowed Lawn, the new project of SS 1/2 guitarist and songwriter, Tim Rose. FML can be described as the aural equivalent of a duck down quilt, lulling you, enveloping your ears `n mind with its luxurious mix of exotic instrumentation, carefully strummed guitars and electric drizzled ambience. The album features 11 new songs recorded by Rose along with the help of some of Europe`s best musicians. Recorded in 2005 in Vienna, Austria, FML incorporates the familiar power pop sound of The Sun Sawed in 1/2 with both jazz and classical touches. Touchstones we`ll mention would include Elvis Costello`s "Imperial Bedroom", Van Dyke Parks, High Llamas, The Sea & the Cake, XTC, Tears For Fears (think: "Sowing The Seeds Of Love" vibe), The Polyphonic Spree and Beulah. Fans of Sun Sawed In 1/2 will not be disappointed, either, as the musical DNA is fully embedded in the works here.

"Tim Rose was/is the main songwriter in the critically acclaimed pop underground band The Sun Sawed In 1/2 and Fresh Mowed Lawn is Roses first solo project. True to form, this lovely debut contains a slew of well-crafted, melodic gems with greater emphasis on soft pop elements than the Sun was known for. Still intact is Roses penchant for quirky and whimsical arrangements. An accomplished outing!" - The PowerOfPopBlog. "Having listened to it for a few weeks now, it was definitely worth the wait and will be a top-10-of-06 contender for many out there (perhaps including myself). Not Lame compares it: " Elvis Costello`s "Imperial Bedroom", Van Dyke Parks, High Llamas, The Sea & the Cake, XTC, Tears For Fears (think: "Sowing The Seeds Of Love" vibe), The Polyphonic Spree and Beulah."

I can`t disagree with these comparisons, but a couple I`d like to add are even bigger names in the pop pantheon: The Beatles (I get a Side 2 of Abbey Road vibe here at times), and Big Star (circa Radio City and especially Third/Sister Lovers). My personal favorites are the Chiltonesque "Wish It All Away", the pure pop of "Curded Wheys", and the opener "Watching The World Turn Slowly/From This Day Forward". t`s really the type of album you need to listen to end-to-end. I wasn`t giving it justice as part of a random iPod rotation when I first received it, but when I took the time to listen to it all the way through, its high quality become readily apparent."-AbsolutePowerPopBlog.

The evolution of this project, five years in the making, is one of more interesting stories in the indie pop world. "I wanted to make an album which pushed the boundaries of power pop and reflected the type of music I had been listening to whilst living in Austria and Italy." "I went around to the Viennese jazz clubs and found the best players I could find to form the rhythm section. I wanted guys who were used to playing a different style of music to see what they could bring to the project." Earlier that year Rose had fatefully met a man while waiting in line at a Falafel stand. "I overheard this guy speaking English to his daughter and struck up a conversation with him. He told me he was a musician too. My first thought was that he probably was just some guy with an acoustic guitar all dusty in his family room, but when he told me he was the director of the horn section of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra I was floored!". That chance meeting led to Tim hiring renowned Dutch classical composer Rens Newland to score the album and to utilize members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra on the album. The end result falls into the lush category of pop in the Brian Wilson / Burt Bacharach / Elvis Costello world and pushes what Rose had done before to new levels. "I also found an amazing accordion player at a little winery in the hills, a steel pedal player and a Greek opera singer and a terrific German jazz vocalist." During the time Rose spent in Kyiv in 1998 he had approached this hybrid style of music by using Ukrainian folk musicians on a few titles on the 2000 album "Bewilderbeest" for The Sun Sawed in 1/2.

The sonic result is before you. Listen. This uplifting and vibrant experience is just that, reminding us that music can take you to a different place, disengaging us from the expected formula of our music diets, enriching a new array of vitamin-infused musicianship. Hyperbolic? Damn straight. For all who cry for something new, different and exciting, here`s your release. Fresh Mowed Lawn do the impossible, bringing the listener to an exciting new place, a destination that is commercially accessible, without beating you over the head the commonplace. Don`t miss out on the experience.

Wish It All Away - mp3

Watching the World Turn Slowly / From This Day Forward - mp3

Curded Wheys - mp3

She Loves Me She Loves You Not - mp3

All The Rage - mp3

The Rest of Your Life - mp3