Charming Gardeners

"Mission To Mars," the first song on Charming Gardeners' debut, self-titled EP, begins with an all-too-familiar sound—a broken-up guitar playing a mid-tempo groove, filtered through a wah-wah pedal. The rest of the band kicks in, and it's apparent from the start: This act is making no attempt to hide their influences. In fact, they seem to wear them proudly. The melancholy thread that weaves its way through the record harkens back to the sort of cleaned-up grunge era of rock 'n' roll.

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But unlike many bands from that era, Charming Gardeners is no collection of hacks. It's obvious from the pitch-perfect vocals of tatted-up lead singer Amy Curnow and the studio-caliber rock band that backs her that their aim is excellence—and they don't really miss that mark at all.

Unfortunately, that's where the problem begins.

With all of the shimmery guitars and slick drum sounds, the record borders on generic, simply because of its absolute lack of blemish or flaw. Raw guts and grit are restrained and personality is traded for perfection.

Some may find that idea sterile, but Charming Gardeners wouldn't have it any other way.