Stream: Communicant, ‘New York Times’

Kevin Bronson on March 13th, 2020

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Plans change, but the quality of the music doesn’t.

Singer-songwriter Dylan Gardner, the onetime teenage wunderkind whose major-label deal didn’t work out, unveiled the new incarnation of his music, Communicant, last year. Inspired by his work with producer/writer Ben Goldwasser of MGMT, Communicant initially planned to release an album last fall, but pushed it back to 2020.

Today brought the arrival of a six-song EP, “Memory Palace,” a notable evolution from the classic guitar-pop Gardner released in his younger days to the kaleidoscopic worlds of psych- and dream-pop.

The lush production of “Memory Palace” adds modern flourishes to the songs’ 1960s skeletons. Yes, the work of MGMT comes to mind, as does Peter Bjorn and John. Two of the songs originally planned for the 2019 album turn up here, including the positively affecting “New York Times,” which features singer Syndie Jo. It’s the closing track, a final melodic pirouette to 22 minutes of immersive, swirling pop.

||| Stream: “New York Times”