Review Summary: You Could Be My Tree of Life
Art d’Ecco is a name a was entirely unfamiliar with merely a week ago but I had thrown their newest record “Serene Demon” into my playlist because I really loved the album cover photo and the font of the text used in the corner; it carried a very mysterious neo-noir vibe that I was intrigued by. From the initial drum beat on the opener ‘True Believer,’ I was genuinely hooked. I adored the timbre of those drums, I loved the rhythmic upbeat piano and those vocal harmonies that build into a jazzy, glammy pop tune that almost reminds me of an extremely good version of ‘Good Day’ by Twenty-One Pilots. It was an audio onslaught of ideas and styles within just the first minute of the track but then it just continues to impress with a brief psych-sounding melody that caps off what I assume to be the chorus. There’re all ranges of horns, vocal effects, brief guitar leads; I was actually blown away by all the various sounds that punched the mix at an overwhelming rate all while flowing very smoothly and not sacrificing a great song. It’s easy to get carried away throwing little nuggets of other genres but I found this to be sincerely impressive. The catch is this isn’t even my favorite track on the record by a longshot; it only gets better.
Before I briefly discuss some of my favorite tracks and sections, I wanted to highlight a couple elements that really stand out as far as what makes an album special. Over the last couple years, I’ve become much more of an audiophile; I appreciate and love a good mix, I kind of catch myself homing in on little sonic cues and sound related things that I would have never noticed previously. The bass/drum combo on this record is stellar. The way the kick drum sounds alongside the bass tone is so crisp, so punchy, it’s actually shocking. I also love the way that synths, strings, horns, whatever treble instrument happens to be on a given song, cuts through the basic drum/bass sound. All these sounds complement each other beautifully but when something begs to be the star of the moment, it’s front and center in the most dynamically pleasing way possible. On the second track ‘Cooler Than This,’ it’s most noticeable when the little chirpy, jumpy synth line comes in at the beginning of the song and especially so at around the halfway point when the synths, horns and strings build up alongside a sick guitar lick. There’s been some great sounding albums that have come out this year and this is near the top for me.
This record also had me questioning where good glam rock music has been this whole time?? This record definitely incorporates new wave, art pop and post-punk at times but at the heart of it, it’s enveloped by a spunky glam rock type energy. It’s very bouncy, it’s very glamorous so it kind of goes against the mood that is set with the album cover which I found rather interesting. I figured this might be a bleak, goth style rock record but was pleasantly surprised with how lively and fun a lot of these tracks are like ‘Survival of the Fittest’ which is sprung forward by an excellent walking baseline and quick staccato drum/cymbal patterns. Plus, you have extremely bright and almost jubilant cuts like ‘Honeycomb’ which features, get this, a ***ing steel pan drum alongside a cheery, summery acoustic guitar strumming pattern. It’s all over the place in the best way possible.
What’s also worth pointing out is the seven-minute epic title track ‘Serene Demon’ which gently builds with light pianos and soft horn layers into something very dramatic and boisterous at times. The guitar solo that erupts around the three-minute mark reminds me so much of Queen for whatever reason. The song finally caps off with what you should only have been expecting at this point, yes, that is of course a funky, groovy jam fest highlighted by a pretty stereotypical funk guitar lick and repeated vocals that eventually break into an emotive shout. It’s just an expertly crafted tune that certainly stands out amongst a slew of three-minute bangers where the songwriting is essential used to crat immediate payoffs whereas ‘Serene Demon’ is meticulously worked to maximize its loud/soft dynamics in a unique way.
One element that sort of fell by the wayside so far is the vocals. I will say Art d’Ecco, whoever they are, has a very compelling style that compliments these songs well. I do feel that on their own, they maybe are a little unsubstantial in technical ability but in terms of being an excellent foil for this vision, it is an essential component in making this record what it is. Having not much in terms of background on this project or visionary artist other than the credits section under the album on Bandcamp, I feel like the mystery of this artist adds to the overall aura of excitement that I feel. With several previously released albums to catch up on, I have some serious joy in my heart right now anticipating the kinds of things I’ll hear.
This record deserves some attention; it has the makings of a modern classic in my eyes and features some of the best production and mixing of a record that’s dropped this year. The songwriting is stellar, the imagination and willingness to take risks sonically is truly admirable and most of the time, it works extremely well. I’ve listened to this about half a dozen times at this point and as I’m writing this, I’m just thinking about the next chance I’ll get to listen to it again. If you have 38 minutes to spare, it’s well worth it.
