Johnson, Mike: The Gardens of Loss

Mike Johnson, a founding member of the avant/“RIO� prog band Thinking Plague who has been with the group for all seven of their studio releases, has issued his debut solo album. Although he has often written most of the lyrics and music for their albums, Johnson says: “I was hoping to be free of some of the expectations and assumptions that come with the name Thinking Plague. I wanted to try some different things, and take full credit or blame for the outcome.�

He goes on: “One of my main objectives was to make an album incorporating an orchestra, of sorts at least, which required me to employ a lot of new people, such as a string quintet, a new flutist, an oboist, bassoonist, trumpeter, trombonist, etc. And I wanted some different musicians in key roles, like Simon Steensland on bass and Morgan Ågren and Kimara Sajn on drums, and Jeremy Kurn on piano.� Indeed, by my count he employs no fewer than 18 musicians on The Gardens of Loss.

While Johnson has technically struck out on his own with this release, it sounds a lot like, well, a Thinking Plague album. Which means, it will likely divide opinion sharply, with many loving it and some hating it. To be sure, it’s not easy listening. There is a lot of dissonance, and the tracks often sound vastly different from each other … while somehow cohering in the end, at least to my ears.

I tried to write a little bit about each song, but that proved nearly impossible given that Johnson and the skilled musicians on the album throw so much at you not only across the tracks but within them. I should say that if you require traditional vocals, this album won’t be for you. There are some here and there, but they can be wordless or nearly so much of the time. In addition, they play a complementary role to the music, albeit a very important one to the album’s sound. Overall, what you get is a lot of free jazz with a little bit of heaviness supplied by the guitars and a good shot of ethereal spaciness.

I avoided this type of music for a long time, that is, until I discovered the Kentucky-based Ut Gret. Something clicked with me. While Ut Gret seems to be defunct, Mike Johnson is most definitely around and kicking. Give the album a shot. If you don’t like it, you probably won’t be out much time, because you will almost surely give up before you arrive at the end. But hopefully you will be around for the entire ride!

Track Listing
1. Dies Irae (3:24)
2. Boys with Toys (1:59)
3. The Lords of Creation (6:08)
4. Destitution Meal (2:54)
5. Transience (7:23)
6. Dumbstruck (7:53)
7. The Gardens of Loss (7:48)
8. Soulless in Gaza (8:28)

Added: June 29th 2026
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Mike Johnson @ bandcamp
Hits: 14
Language: english

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