Quirky songmaster
Adam Green took a break from
Moldy Peaches in fall 2002 to release his debut solo album,
Garfield. Slightly sticking to his anti-folk formula,
Green offers an ironic musical twist on
Garfield, and it's surprisingly charming. While songs like the ragtime gem "My Shadow Tags on Behind" and the banjo romp "Her Father and Her" are poetically frank,
Green is keenly aware of what socially surrounds him. He's barely in his twenties but comes off with a shrewdness similar to
Lou Barlow and
Green's favorite,
Tim Hardin. "Dance With Me" is
Garfield's brightest pop moment. Layered percussion twirls around
Green's low vocal brooding and a hushing woodwinds section.
Green sweetly describes a moment with a crush he once admired from afar and he's weirdly romantic in doing so.
Garfield is
Green's musical storybook of the bruised;
Lou Reed/
Iggy Pop-esque vocals and spiky riffs highlight love's defeat on "Baby's Gonna Die Tonight," but don't forget that
Green is a lovesucker. He's also a humorist of sorts -- pay attention to "Mozzarella Swastikas."
Garfield is an impressive departure from
Green's
Moldy Peaches persona. He doesn't even use the word "turd" in any of his songs. [Original versions of "Dance With Me," "Bleeding Heart," and "Computer Show" can also be found on
Green's self-titled EP.]