Rachelle van Zanten

Former Painting Daisy Rachelle van Zanten amps it up on her second solo release. The snarl of dirty blues heard intermittently on her 2006 solo debut, Back To Francois, takes centre stage on her new collection, ten tight tracks featuring her searing, ever-improving slide guitar work. From the glorious yowl of opening track "Showerhead," van Zanten is a fiercer creature this time around. There's no hint of the sunny bluegrass featured prominently on her debut. Even her quieter tracks are buzzing with feedback, electronic loops and grimy guitar fuzz. Everything's a little fraught in van Zanten's Garden. Native chants lend atmosphere, at times, and the light ping of keyboards occasionally offers a little relief from the tension. Highlights, though tough to choose, include the nicely galloping "Figure It Out" and "My Country," an ode to the beleaguered Skeena Watershed.