Released in early 2022,
The Garden sees one-time Polaris Music Prize nominee
Basia Bulat reimagine 16 songs from her first five albums for string quartet and a handful of other instruments. Partly inspired by finding new meaning in her older songs through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic and impending motherhood, she also took inspiration from the industry practice of reworking songs, particularly in the mid-20th century. (
Kitty Wells, for instance, recorded versions of "Making Believe" in three different decades.) With string parts arranged alternately by
Owen Pallett,
Paul Frith, and Zou Zou Robidoux,
The Garden was produced by
Bulat and prior collaborator
Mark Lawson (
Arcade Fire,
Beirut). While many of the re-recordings align with the sprit and approximate sound of the originals -- "Heart of My Own," for instance, switches acoustic guitar, fiddle, and banjo to like-minded strings, and the acoustic waltz "The Pilgriming Vine" is similar here, minus the original's invigorated ending -- surprises include "Infamous," whose skittering, organ-accompanied rock is transformed into poignant, cello-heavy acoustic balladry that picks ups energy and movement as it progresses. Elsewhere, the prom slow dance "Are You in Love?" already had strings on the 2019 version, and while stripped of drums, the 2022 edition adds plugged-in accompaniment to the string quartet arrangement. That said,
Bulat's melodic, folk-leaning tendencies as a songwriter lend themselves well to this kind of makeover, one that adds a touch of elegance to nuanced vocal performances. ~ Marcy Donelson