This album’s botanical title is a line from its first track, “Scarborough Fair,” a traditional English ballad in which a young man sends a message to his far-away love. Herbal lore held that parsley soothed the bitterness of distance, sage gave strength, rosemary sustained faithfulness, and thyme lent courage. Should Paul and Art wish to update the song, they would find plenty more in the garden to comfort the still-pining lovers: ginseng to sharpen their memories, sarsaparilla to afford them youthful energy, echinacea to immunize them (against temptation, perhaps), and ginko to ensure that they live to a ripe old age. But good luck choosing a word to rhyme with gingko.
