Carl Weingarten - Pandora's Garage



1. Prelude to Pandora (5:52) 2. Cynara* (5:59) 3. Late That Summer (5:32) 4. Falline (5:01) 5. Airtides (3:48) 6. At a Glance* (4:28) 7. Two Half Moons (4:18) 8. Out of Somewhere (3:54) 9. All Things Return* (5:58) 10. The Slo-Guitar (2:44) 11. Romance & Evolution in B minor (5:21)

Total Running Time: 52:58



The steel currents of modern life and its angular dwellers are a curious bit, drawing from an unending well of energetic exuberance in order to fuel the hectic neurosis that keeps cities from falling into eternal slumber. Such activity is hitherto unhindered and unchallenged, but something precious has been gradually losing its hold in the hearts of this industrial conglomerate: a sense of innocence, a sense of discovery, a sense of wonder. Not that it could be otherwise, with dazzling city lights precluding the serene presence of stars, everyday traffic obscuring the perception of subtler sonic waves, and routine turning the sun into a drab sphere of glowing and intolerable heat. The very curses of Pandora's box are slithering through this continuous state of death in life, and soft sensuality has abandoned the lot of us. Pandora, on the other hand, is out again and enjoying the small miracles of existence that we have unknowingly chosen to ignore.

Ignoring is harder to do, however, when one is allowed to feel through Pandora's senses by means of the placid atmosphere that envelops Carl Weingarten's Pandora's Garage, which reflects a sense of newfound joy in discovery and the experience of both the exotically and mundanely beautiful. The warm breeze of summer, blowing the grace of movement along its path, greets the listener in tranquil happiness; love and tenderly anxious expectation arouse once dormant roots of encompassing emotion; and the precious time of free exploration disappears suddenly into the wind only to give way to a turbulent alarm of the senses. It is with such cinematic character and dynamics that Weingarten takes the listener along in a journey of marvel and magic, an encounter with the origins of childhood contemplation that flows like a new untold story of Pandora through the various layers of hope that the musicians on this album develop with graceful gentility.

The enthralling gorgeousness of this album and its breathtaking spirit are not only a result of Weingarten's chosen musicians though, as he himself embellishes the proceedings with an unmistakable tact that sets him apart as both guitarist and composer. The manner in which his slide playing resembles the gracious flight of sylphs, or the way that his gentle harmonics glide through memories of tender caresses, are simply touching in their tender beauty. And just when one thinks that the rules have been set in motion, bassist Jim Mayer gives "Falline" an endearing sense of underground activity with his many subtle variations, or Weingarten takes the listener completely by surprise with the dramatic syncopation of "Romance & Evolution in B minor," thus keeping one from falling into a state of delirious conformism. Maybe Pandora is still about in our hearts, maybe serene wonder hasn't been completely lost yet. And maybe, just maybe, it can all be found again through Pandora's Garage.

-by Marcelo Silveyra

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