Heard It Here First

Amid the triumphant return of the Pretty Lights Live Band, effervescent band member Michal Menert continues on with an impressive solo career of his own. For his newest musical endeavor, he teamed up with Adam Tenenbaum for their collaborative Wooden Flowers project. After releasing their debut EP, Diffused Light, in 2021, the duo returns with a masterpiece in Goldtrails. This record takes listeners on a journey through sound, painting a vivid soundscape using funky beats and layers of synths, creating a rich sonic atmosphere around groovy old-school basslines. Goldtrails is a moonwalk through the Wild West for listeners.

On A Journey

Goldtrails opens with an eponymous first track that perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the record. The track begins with a soft, lush atmosphere accompanied by groovy guitar strums before giving way to a brooding bassline. A pulsing breakbeat jumps into the fray before the modular bass takes over for a cinematic, moody outro. “The Stranger” ramps up the Western theme of the record, coupling a classic Western guitar riff with lots of twang and a slow, methodical beat before the melody begins to soar. The cover for the single release of this track perfectly encapsulates the vibe as a cowboy walks across an open desert looking up into the great expanse of the cosmos. “Sky River” continues the sonic journey with a lovely downtempo romp, utilizing more fleshed-out and distorted guitar melodies and a softer beat to convey a message of tranquility.

The dreamy and psychedelic “Dragon Flower” lulls listeners into a trance-like state, almost stopping the passing of time for a brief moment of introspection and wonder. This track is reminiscent of the duo working together with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead before forming Wooden Flowers. The textures in this track would make for a perfect interlude during a Dead & Co set . “Iridescence” keeps the vibes going, forgoing the guitar from “Dragon Flower” in favor of more prominent soft textures and a dreamy synth melody.

“Cosmic Rider” sucks listeners back in with deeper guitar strums and a slow, rhythmic, almost psytrance-like triplet drum pattern. The beat is complimented by a distorted melody and lots of background FX, creating a sense of tension and unease, yet it marches forward. Finally, “Ghostly Oasis” brings together the record with a club-friendly conclusion. This track aligns with the new dancier jams from the Pretty Lights band as a distorted bassline dances around a pulsing beat. Here’s what the duo had to say about their newest work:

“Goldtrails is a psychedelic, sonic adventure, traversing a range of colors, emotions and grooves. Containing beats, bass glitches, four on the floor dance floor fillers, IDM granular sound design, and painted over with lots of twang, exotic melodies and textures.” – Wooden Flower

Both Menert and Tenenbaum are two of the best to do it in modern psychedelia, and Goldtrails further solidifies their standing. Hopefully, we can get some Wooden Flowers live performances in the near future. Seeing this duo live would be a truly cinematic experience.

What did you think of Goldtrails? Would you like to see more from Menert and Tenenbaum’s Wooden Flowers in the future? Let us know in the comments or on social media!

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