If someone says "California" what do you think first? I know you don’t think about the sluggish traffic, smoggy cities or ridiculous movie stars. If you’re like me, California makes you think of sun, sand in your butt cheeks, and margaritas when the sun goes down. But, hell, if you’re reading this, you probably aren’t out there– just like me. All that aside, I ran across this band– rather, solo project– called Arcadia Gardens. The dreamy, sunny music caught my interest, so I started doing some super hi-tech research: I Googled the band name. Turns out the first search results were places out in good ol’ So Cal. Coincindence? Who knows, but it would make sense if Arcadia Gardens was named after some pleasant place in San Fransisco or L.A. The sounds transport me straight to a California beach, and I don’t even have to brave the traffic to get there.
Ironically, Daniel Rutstrum (the guy behind the curtain pumping out the tunes as Arcadia Gardens) isn’t from California, but hangs in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I bet that he wishes he were there just as much as I do, and that wish inspires his music. It’s hard to describe the music itself. I could compare him to bands that you may or may not have heard of like Grimes mixed with a little MGMT and then the spaceyness of Beach House. But I think what would be best is to desribe the feelings I get when I listen. The bass beat pounds slowly. I feel like dancing– but it’s slowed down enough that the dance would be more interpretive and smooth– like Napolean Dynamite’s dove hands. Nothing would feel better than to let my hands float into the sun as white birds while I listen to "Relax Tonight," from the album Memory Machines. Dramatic, I know, but listen and you’ll understand fully. He plays a lot with reverb on melodic synths, keys and guitars, giving his music a special ambiance, and yet he doesn’t lose the space of the sound; it doesn’t get muddy or mixed up. Well done. His vocals are airy, simple. And they’re as they should be. Simple tunes over spacey music– lovely. His voice reminds me a little of Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses. It’s not perfect, but this is his second album. I look forward to him playing a show near me soon so I can check him out and have that sunny beach right in front of me. –Ben Dunn