After Randy Garcia (QRO interview) had some troubles with an unnamed female vocalist a few years ago, he seemed to bounce back, finding a new lady to sing for his outfit, Nerd Parade, on A Delicate Bashing (QRO review). But in 2009, after another Parade release (A Span of a Life – QRO review), Garcia has stepped back with not one, but two solo, near-instrumental releases, first I Used To Write On Walls & Other New York City Stories (QRO review), and now Everything Ever, which shifts even further away from the Nerd Parade party and into indietronica – though keeps some of the same spirit.
While Write was a spooky release from the author of “Yay, Yeah, Uh-huh!”, Everything Ever is a cheerier piece, but in a different way than Nerd Parade. Instead of the wild party, Everything is a brighter, almost cartoon-like collection of indietronic instrumentals (reminiscent of a less frenetic Dan Deacon – QRO live review). Sometimes Garcia can be a bit too bright, such as with “New Eden”, though the title track finishes off the record nicely. Garcia does have some variety, from the smoother “The Perfect Spoon” to the catchier “Unicorn On the Cob”, but without words, and based in keyboards, Everything can blend together (and the one exception, the slow, synth atmosphere with transmissions “We Live In the Air” – think sixties sci-fi – is a bit boring).
With three releases under his belt in 2009, the Atlanta-based ‘R. Garcia’ is certainly one of the most prolific artists out there, and the quantity doesn’t sacrifice quality. But that amount can overwhelm at times, especially without words to distinguish.
