Photo by Danny Ngan
Twice a month onTalking Tracks*, we interview local artists about their latest drops — song by song. It’s a little bit like a curated Spotify playlist, except way more in depth, and it’s all the people who live right in our city. In each episode, you’ll get to listen to the full album or EP right alongside the artist’s inspiration behind the tracks. Now, we’re teamed up with LiveMo to bring you special, live set editions of the podcast.*
Seattle indie-folk band Larsen Gardens released their sophomore LP, Moonflower, on April 9, 2021. In this special, live audience episode of Talking Tracks, Dan and frontwoman Sarah Edmonds break down the meaning behind and the making of each song on the project — 10 tracks about intimacy, learning to be with yourself, and the beauty of opening up.
This episode was recorded at the Fremont Abbey with sound by Sean Aragon.
Listen and subscribe to the full interview below, and then click through our photo story for all the best moments. Download the LiveMo app on Apple and Android to stay updated on future live episodes.
Track listing:
- Unspoken – 14:50.
- Move Me – 26:15.
- Peach – 35:25.
- Clouds – 48:10.
- Feel Good – 59:20.
- Mother – 1:13:45.
- Moonflower – 1:22:10.
- Roses — 1:32:55
- Wait Forever — 1:42:00
- Halfway There — 1:50:15
On this episode of Talking Tracks, Sarah Edmonds of Larsen Gardens plays through her sophomore LP, Moonflower. The album has indie-folk, singer-songwriter tendencies with a large Björk influence.
This episode is recorded at the Fremont Abbey in front of a live audience, the first time recording took place in front of a crowd.
Dan’s Tunes Founder and CEO Dan Ray introduces Larsen Gardens and this podcast’s game. Ray says the album feels nostalgic for her, so after each song she asks Edmonds to say what the songs smell like. Because smells go directly the the limbic system, they can be large indicators of memories.
Abbey Arts, which managed the Fremont Abbey, is a nonprofit arts organization focused on providing accessible arts events to all.
Edmonds gets about a verse and a half into first track “Unspoken,” messes up, and restarts the track a la Adele at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
Riley Skinner joins Edmonds on backup vocals. Recording one day, Edmonds made whipped cream for Skinner and her other backup vocalists and let them dig in while they wrote vocals.
Third track “Peach” stems from when Edmonds bought the juiciest peach she’d ever had at a farm stand and ate it on the side of the road. She said the experience taught her how to truly live in the moment.
Edmonds says fourth track “Clouds” smells like rain evaporating off of the sidewalk.
An audience member says that rain smell is called “petrichor:” “a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.”
Ray welcomes the audience to intermission with her boob mug — a mug she purchased on her way out of town at the Seattle airport and had them hold until she returned to town.
After intermission, Edmonds and Ray discuss how everybody poops and how Edmonds has a friend who purchased the book of the same title for an ex.
Edmonds says seventh and title track “Moonflower” is about an actual moonflower she had in her apartment that she had never seen bloom before.
Moonflowers are a type of morning glory — an all-encompassing name for over 1,000 species of flowers including sweet potatoes.
Skinner also performs around town with her duo Heddwen, as well as working with visual artists on installation soundscapes.
In ninth track “Wait Forever,” Edmonds refers to “God herself.” Raised religious, Edmonds says that lyric is another way for her to claim her femininity (and religion) for herself.
Fremont Abbey is planning to reopen for public events in July, as per Washington State guidelines. The state plans to reopen fully June 30.
Final track “Halfway There” is about Edmonds’s time living in the country in a dilapidated farm house and facing her fears of living alone. The song also references her sexual assault and gaining perspective on life and pain.
Talking Tracks will return June 24 with hip-hop artist De’Brea Caviani.
Photos by Danny Ngan.
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