Gardens & Villa ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

The best dance parties I’ve been to this year haven’t happened on Capitol Hill on a Friday night. Instead, they’ve been at Ballard venues on usually mellow Monday and Tuesday nights and they’ve both come courtesy of Santa Barbara’s Gardens & Villa. Their show last Tuesday at The Sunset was no exception. Even Seattle’s most stoic show goers couldn’t help but bust a move to Garden & Villa’s experimental pop tunes. An enthralling mix of electronic and organic, combining synthesized loops, wooden flute solos and the standards (guitar, bass, drum), Gardens & Villa manage to bring something unique to the stage and their record, while remaining accessible.

I’m not keen on grand predictions, but with their party ready tunes that would sound absolutely perfect outdoors, surrounded by throngs of thousands on a summer day, I predict you’ll be seeing Gardens & Villa on every major festival line-up of 2012. And if you don’t, some booker has dropped the ball big time.

Gardens & Villa ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Gardens & Villa ::: photo by Josh Lovseth