Michael O.

***The inaugural offering from Fruits & Flowers is a very special treat. It’s the first solo release by MICHAEL O., aka MICHAEL OLIVARES, the front-man for Bay Area band THE MANTLES, who've made records for Slumberland, Mexican Summer and Siltbreeze amongst others. While The Mantles peel off ragged west coast psych, here Michael O. steps into eccentric pop territory. Working in his basement in Oakland & in SF with EDMUND XAVIER (HORRID RED, etc), Michael O. built a mini-masterpiece of pop with elements of art-rock, new wave & psych-folk, DIY but NOT lo-fi. It’s tempting to add some musical references, but this record is difficult to pin down to a particular era or style. We advise that you just throw this on and get lost in the cracked and glorious world of Michael O. Fans of The Mantles’ paisley hooks will be pleased, but the album is less about heavy guitar riffs than Michael’s distinct voice & melodies which he and Edmund adorned with layers of organs, synths, drum machines and clarinet (!). This 7" EP features two Michael O. originals on side A and a pop take on an early Scorpions tune on the B-side. LP coming soon.