I didnвЂ™t want anything that was aggressive.вЂќ вЂњвЂњI was really just looking for vibes that were soothing. Isla is basically a new, solo project of the acclaimed singer/songwriter Josh Rouse that he worked on during 2020вЂ™s Covid crisis in his small studio near his home in Valencia, Spain. вЂњAttentionвЂќ also makes a lyrical reference to вЂњsweet isolation,вЂќ which is quite appropriate since The Mediterranean Gardener was created during the pandemic. вЂњAttentionвЂќ closes out The Mediterranean Gardener by mixing warm dance beats and New Romantics grace notes. The mood brightens with вЂњTil The Sun Comes Out Again,вЂќ which filters bits of Echo and the Bunnyman and The Cure through a keyboard-based pop tune. вЂњ12 Bars,вЂќ a hilarious recollection of a night of drinking and misadventures, anchors the center of the album along with the relaxed, lush electro-pop tune вЂњA Sunny Day.вЂќ The nearly wordless вЂњFor The Love Of A GirlвЂќ and the fully instrumental вЂњNight MovesвЂќ exude cinematic qualities the former conjures up images of a day spent on an elusive quest while the latter holds more darker, noir-ish elements. With its Brazilian chords and melodies, the vibrant, unpredictable instrumental вЂњColor De VidaвЂќ suggests something Jobim would have created with Roland keyboard samples вЂњItвЂ™s Not That Far,вЂќ arrives next, establishing the laidback groove that flows through the rest of the album. The Mediterranean Gardener opens boldly with вЂњBuenas Noches Baby,вЂќ an eerie Eno-like ambient instrumental, alerting listeners that Isla (the Spanish word for island) is home to beguiling soundscapes. An alluring mix of lyric and instrumental tunes, these tracks meld together so smoothly that they feel more like a whole piece of music rather than a collection of songs. IslaвЂ™s first outing, The Mediterranean Gardener is filled with nine gorgeous tracks of chilled-out electronica that provides a refreshing musical tonic for these stressful times. Welcome to the musical wonderland known as Isla. Just within earshot, music can be heard вЂ“ gently buoyant beats, fluid keyboard lines, and a sparkling blend of sonic samples, accompanied by a singer subtly crooning about sunny days, a drunken night out, and taking a chance on love. But a serene little haven where you leisurely lounge in a thatched-roof cabana and gaze out at a clear blue sky.

Not a glitzy hot spot of Ibiza or Mallorca where tourists dance all night in noisy discos. I wanted to write something that folks hadn't heard before, something they could listen to year round.Imagine yourself on a small island somewhere off the coast of Spain. I decided that if I was going to make a holiday record, I didn't want to load it up with sleigh bells and choirs and sing the same old standards that everybody else has already sung, says Rouse. The result is a holiday record built for the long haul, a wholesome, whip smart collection that's guaranteed to stay with you well after the snow has melted and all the decorations have come down. The arrangements are eclectic and intoxicating, drawing equal influence from Rouse's Midwestern childhood and his decade and a half spent living in Spain, and the performances here are sparkling and fizzy to match, blending jazz sophistication with rootsy sincerity and sly crooner charm. Nick in a suit and sunglasses there's a lonely ex pat waiting by the mailbox for cards that never seem to come. Written off and on over the course of the last ten years, the record is joyful and festive of course, but, much like the holiday season itself, it's also laced with an undercurrent of longing and melancholy.ДЇor every playful portrait of giddy lovers on New Year's Eve, there's a stranded traveler spending Christmas alone for every slick St. It makes sense, then, that The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse isn't your typical yuletide collection. Growing up, I remember hearing Vince Guaraldi and Bing Crosby and all the staples everybody listens to each winter, but I never collected Christmas music or anything like that. I was never a holiday record kind of guy, he laughs. Josh Rouse never planned on making a holiday record.

Josh rouse discography