Live albums, though raw and real, are not as common as studio recorded albums. Everybody has a preference for what they believe sounds better but I believe that live albums are so beautiful in their own way due to the possibility of mistakes or noise from the crowd. It just feels so real and intimate as if you are there experiencing it live. Listening to an album recorded live is also so special because artists typically switch up the tempo of their vocals and other aspects of the song creating a whole new version and sound of a song.
To bring more light to the music project “Puzzle” I think it is important to acknowledge what birthed this project, a band called “The Garden”. The Garden is a band that consists of two identical twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears. They both have their own separate projects which is where Puzzle comes into play. Fletcher Shears is the father of Puzzle, an experimental dream-like project falling under the umbrella of alternative DIY music. Puzzle emerged in 2012 a year after the creation of The Garden. “Linger in the Racket” is the newest album, consisting of new music and older songs that have reached the hearts of fans.
My first listen through of this album was a beautiful experience. I am such a fan of both Wyatt and Fletcher’s voices which remind me of “garage punk”. The mix of Puzzle’s dreamy and nightmare esque instrumentals mixed with the raw loud voice of Fletcher creates such an amazing contrast within this album. Experimental music is so interesting to listen to live due to the ability to change quite literally anything, like a science experiment. I believe that listening to live versions of Puzzle’s music is like listening to completely different songs. Experimental artists have such a beautiful ability to create variety within one live song.
Both live versions of “Loose Cannon” and “Love is a Place to Hide” are so perfect in their own imperfect ways. Both of these songs became more popular in 2022-23, which is when I became a listener. Having not really listened to Puzzle since then, listening to “Linger in the Racket” again was such a nostalgic experience.
Though it is not everyone’s “cup of tea”, experimental music builds a foundation for all of your favorite artists, and I believe that it is important to listen to these bands that have created this foundation such as Puzzle.
