Art d'Ecco: Nobody's Home
This enigmatic rocker is heavily influenced by the sound and style of glam. This highly appealing cut from an upcoming debut album fuses Joy Division basslines, androgynous vocals, analogue synths, and smart production touches.
By Kerry Doole
Art d'Ecco -" Nobody's Home" (Paper Bag Records): A label press release describes this cat as "a mysterious glam-rocker." We haven't discovered his true identity, though we do approve of his stage name. His debut album, Trespasser, is set for release on Oct. 12, and this new single and video grabbed our attention.
The glam tag doesn't totally fit this cut. Joy Division-like basslines underpin d'Ecco's androgynous vocals, and there are enough subtle production touches to make this quite beguiling. Analogue synths are used to good effect too, as is the slightly sinister video directed by Jasper Savage.
Art d'Ecco has embraced the spirit of glam, declaring that his sound and style "is gonna make some people feel uncomfortable. Maybe I don’t belong. But I’m pushing my agenda on the masses. I’m into androgyny and the theatre of the bizarre and the absurd and challenging the masculine overtones of the rock and roll industry. The aesthetic of rock is a little tired.” Bowie is cited as a key influence.
His label bio claims that the initial inspiration forTrespasser came while he was living in his grandmother's cottage in the Gulf Islands of BC, then executed in another island studio. Early exposure to other tracks on the album certainly reinforces the positive impression left by "Nobody's Home."
Art d'Ecco plays the Rifflandia fest in Victoria on Sept. 15, and Pop Montreal on Sept. 27, followed by shows in Hamilton, Halifax, Ottawa, Guelph, Toronto, Victoria, and Vancouver. Itinerary here
Links
Publicity: Darryl Weeks, Stage Fright Publicity
