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Editorial Reviews
2nd album by celebrated North Carolina collective Lost In The Trees. The extraordinary record, entitled A Church That Fits Our Needs, is a work of vaulting ambition, a cathedral built on loss and transformation. While this might sound like a somber affair, A Church That Fits Our Needs is anything but.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Frontman and main creative force Ari Picker wrote this after his cancer-stricken mother killed herself shortly after his wedding in 2009, and, yes, A Church That Fits Our Needs is a hard listen. But it's a triumphant one, celebrating the muse on the cover as often as it mourns her passing. Picker has stated that he wanted to provide his mother, an artist, "a space, in the music, to be, and to become all the things she didn't get a chance to be when she was alive." It's less a funeral march than a memorial, finally arriving at the lush intersection of folk, pop and classical music that Picker has been threatening to master for years. Stuck in a sort of creative stasis with the release and re-release of his debut EP and LP over the past few years, perhaps it was this life changing event that was what Picker really needed to discover himself as his own artist. A Church That Fits Our Needs realizes all the potential that All Alone In An Empty House promised, and Picker, a Berklee College of Music graduate whose has written first orchestral work was for the North Carolina Symphony, melds all the various threads of his influences into a cohesive, heartbreaking whole.
There's shades of the loss that permeated Arcade Fire's Funeral here, a tinge of Radiohead's chilly baroque arrangements, and the kind of orchestral finessing that Jonsi could appreciate; there's also a heavy Stravinsky influence and the sweeping cinematic quality of film scorers like Nino Rota. In Picker's arrangements, though, there's a distinctly American quality - the sound of rushing rivers, the hushed crack of leaves in a wintry forest. The gentle finger picking and dramatic strings paint a chromatic, vivid picture in songs like the stately, melancholy "Icy River," where Picker's crystal clear tenor completes everything: "Icy river / put your arms around my mother / I burned her body in the furnace / till all that's left was her glory." Picker's lyrics dabble in the crushingly intimate as well as the darkly fantastical - veiled lyrics about dead birds and golden eyelids, with nature imagery and archetypal discussions about heart and the hereafter predominating. It's a soundscape that seems to revel in life rather than death, and it's this verve and melodic enthusiasm that prevents A Church That Fits Our Needs from becoming a one-note lamentation.
Though it's Picker's lyrics that provide the emotional punch, it's his superb technical skills that make A Church That Fits Our Needs so much more than a simple outpouring of grief. Picker enjoys playing around with meter, and his complex use of strings and use of fellow vocalist Emma Nadeau's airy whisper dabbles in dissonance but always somehow manages to return to a resolving major lift. "As you close your eyes from the water / a golden light wanders with the birds / where have you been, what have you seen / all the peace when you come following / I'll tell you it's worth it all," Picker sings on "Golden Eyelids," and there's the major key surge, an optimistic murmur, but there's also a hidden tension in the taut, haunting strings that threaten in the background, swirling up in a gusty ostinato. For much of The Church That Fits Our Needs, there's that struggle to find peace, to reconcile the lessons and traits he's inherited from his mother with her untimely, senseless death. "My song can try / but there are things that songs can't say," Picker sings with more than a touch of sad finality on the closing lines of "Vines," his voice close to breaking on the last couplet: "Am I hopeless? I trust you, but where are we walking to?"
It's an appropriate theme for the record, where the loss of a loved one is not just something that can never be found again but is also an opportunity to reflect and cherish. It's a theme that is also not necessarily resolved by the time "Vines" ends, although the harrowing gut-punch combo that is the tender ballad "This Dead Bird is Beautiful," and the cleansing stomp of "Garden" comes closest. The former is the kind of bare acoustic piece that leaves no room for subtlety, Picker defiantly reminding himself that he'll "always have her eyes," while the latter picks up all the tense and pensive wonderings of the past eight songs and brings them crashing down in a cathartic wave of emotion, apocalyptic strings and percussion. It's an exhausting listen, but what A Church That Fits Our Needs does so well is how it makes this loss palatable - the grief is real and heartfelt and sometimes overwhelming, but in its honesty and the warm instrumentation that Picker has mastered, it's thoughtful and all too easy to get lost in. It's an odd sort of comfort, but it's a comfort nonetheless, and if nothing else A Church That Fits Our Needs provides something to hang on to: memories. In that respect, it's a fitting monument to Picker's mother as she was, not how she ended, and it's a touching, affirming milestone in his own career.
There's shades of the loss that permeated Arcade Fire's Funeral here, a tinge of Radiohead's chilly baroque arrangements, and the kind of orchestral finessing that Jonsi could appreciate; there's also a heavy Stravinsky influence and the sweeping cinematic quality of film scorers like Nino Rota. In Picker's arrangements, though, there's a distinctly American quality - the sound of rushing rivers, the hushed crack of leaves in a wintry forest. The gentle finger picking and dramatic strings paint a chromatic, vivid picture in songs like the stately, melancholy "Icy River," where Picker's crystal clear tenor completes everything: "Icy river / put your arms around my mother / I burned her body in the furnace / till all that's left was her glory." Picker's lyrics dabble in the crushingly intimate as well as the darkly fantastical - veiled lyrics about dead birds and golden eyelids, with nature imagery and archetypal discussions about heart and the hereafter predominating. It's a soundscape that seems to revel in life rather than death, and it's this verve and melodic enthusiasm that prevents A Church That Fits Our Needs from becoming a one-note lamentation.
Though it's Picker's lyrics that provide the emotional punch, it's his superb technical skills that make A Church That Fits Our Needs so much more than a simple outpouring of grief. Picker enjoys playing around with meter, and his complex use of strings and use of fellow vocalist Emma Nadeau's airy whisper dabbles in dissonance but always somehow manages to return to a resolving major lift. "As you close your eyes from the water / a golden light wanders with the birds / where have you been, what have you seen / all the peace when you come following / I'll tell you it's worth it all," Picker sings on "Golden Eyelids," and there's the major key surge, an optimistic murmur, but there's also a hidden tension in the taut, haunting strings that threaten in the background, swirling up in a gusty ostinato. For much of The Church That Fits Our Needs, there's that struggle to find peace, to reconcile the lessons and traits he's inherited from his mother with her untimely, senseless death. "My song can try / but there are things that songs can't say," Picker sings with more than a touch of sad finality on the closing lines of "Vines," his voice close to breaking on the last couplet: "Am I hopeless? I trust you, but where are we walking to?"
It's an appropriate theme for the record, where the loss of a loved one is not just something that can never be found again but is also an opportunity to reflect and cherish. It's a theme that is also not necessarily resolved by the time "Vines" ends, although the harrowing gut-punch combo that is the tender ballad "This Dead Bird is Beautiful," and the cleansing stomp of "Garden" comes closest. The former is the kind of bare acoustic piece that leaves no room for subtlety, Picker defiantly reminding himself that he'll "always have her eyes," while the latter picks up all the tense and pensive wonderings of the past eight songs and brings them crashing down in a cathartic wave of emotion, apocalyptic strings and percussion. It's an exhausting listen, but what A Church That Fits Our Needs does so well is how it makes this loss palatable - the grief is real and heartfelt and sometimes overwhelming, but in its honesty and the warm instrumentation that Picker has mastered, it's thoughtful and all too easy to get lost in. It's an odd sort of comfort, but it's a comfort nonetheless, and if nothing else A Church That Fits Our Needs provides something to hang on to: memories. In that respect, it's a fitting monument to Picker's mother as she was, not how she ended, and it's a touching, affirming milestone in his own career.
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By audiophiler
Format:Audio CD
I have spent countless hours perusing Amazon over the past decade for good music... one of my favorite hobbies. This is is the first review I have ever written and it is to express my shear joy in getting to experience Lost in the Trees. I heard them for the first time a year or two ago around the release of their album, All Alone in an Empty House, and they quickly became one of my favorite bands. All Alone in an Empty House and Time Taunts Me are both unique and wonderfully intricate musically and lyrically. Ari Picker, who I consider to be a musical genius, does an amazing job of composing and arranging the songs to create an album that is nothing short of an enveloping experience. I must admit that I get worried with the release of new albums from bands I love but A Church That Fits Our Needs has delivered a new collection of songs that has once again blown me away. I am currently on my third play of the day and it has only grown better with each listen. So in short, if you are a fan of Lost in the Trees, Typhoon, great multi-layered music, or just looking for something completely unique, check these guys out.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase
Indie outfit Lost in the Trees release a surprising, awe-inspiring third effort in 2012's A Church That Fits Our Needs. The backstory of A Church That Fits Our Needs alongside the credentials of frontman Ari Picker (vocals/guitars/composition) truly drew me to this effort. This conceptual effort serves as a memorial to Picker's late mother, an artist who committed suicide and who graces the cover. While the theme is dark and the title odd, there's an inescapable magic one feels listening to this effort. A Church that Fits Our Needs is instantly a brighter spot in any music collection.
"Moment One," a :48 interlude and intro, sets the tone for the effort, containing sparse piano clusters. Picker, who composes these fine, non-conventional songs uses space quite effectively to convey mysteriousness. Towards the end of the cut, sound effects lead into the first proper cut, the brilliant "Neither Here Nor There." The arrangement is very clean and spacious with a sound combination of bass, drums, and acoustic guitar. Picker's lead vocals are characterized by upper register and falsetto. Sometimes this slightly obscures the lyrics, but you get the sense that is the mysterious effect he is aiming for. The rhythmic devices help to truly propel "Neither Here Or There," particularly given its constant syncopation and use of hemiola (for classical folks). The lyrics are quite solemn: "Oh look in the golden light/after the sun burns out/loneliness you're haunting me...we're neither here nor there." Add in the use of timbre changes and "Neither Here Nor There" is heavy, yet perfect.
`Red' contains high symbolic value throughout this effort as Picker constantly references the color within his lyrics. The cut "Red" is nothing short of excellent, despite having a difficult act to follow in "Neither Here Nor There." Rhythmic motion characterizes, particularly through the use of the tambourine. The string arrangements are elegant and Picker's classical background continues to shine. A brilliant touch is the classical sounding piano lines derived from 20th century compositional practice that ends this cut. "Golden Eyelids" plays on a chromatic-third relationship, opening with a harmonic progression oscillating between C and E major chords; this progression unsurprisingly grace the effort later. The orchestrations continue to allure, most notably the fast, `signature' passages within the strings. There is no concrete refrain, but the reference to `red' is an important moment. The lyrics remain a selling point: "On my icy rim/behind your golden eyelids/are drops of your hair/oh but your tears/that your cancer's fade..." or the reference to `church' via "...with your bold fingers/turn this wicked toxin into a golden church..." Stunning.
"Icy River" is easily one of the most difficult, yet most beautiful cuts of A Church That Fits Our Needs. The orchestration is brilliant, incorporating most strings, quasi-operatic vocals, acoustic piano, and acoustic guitar. The harmonic progression and arrangement sound much like a church organ at times - yet another allusion to `church' if indirectly. The lyrics are chilling when he references `cremation': "Icy river/put your arms around my mother/I burned her body in the furnace/till all that's left was her glory..." Picker does not question his mother's strength on the powerful lyrics of the refrain: "Don't you ever dare think she was weakhearted/she led me to the woods where our church was started..."
"Tall Ceilings" is quicker, alluding once more to the color `red': "Fall up the staircase/flow like underwater/your glorious red something..." Also notable is the reference to `golden' and `eyes' once more: "All these lights/come around and open my gold eyes..." Picker's falsetto remains chilling and lovely as he tellingly conveys his poignant lyrics through the non-conventional meter (timing) of the music. The superb "Tall Ceilings" is followed by another `moment,' this time "Moment Two" is characterized by various sound effects from nature including foot steps moving closer and bird calls. No doubt this is symbolic to the `tone' poem that is A Church That Fits Our Needs.
"This Dead Bird is Beautiful" is as solid, touching, and beautifully eerie as anything else. Picker brilliantly uses repetitiveness within his lyrics to emphasize focal points, much like an `artist.' The references continue to run rampant, whether it be to heaven ("There's no walls in heaven") eyes, or the gospel-operatic treatment that surrounds lyrics "I won't come into my house, not when you're around." "Garden" is more enthusiastic than many cuts with no less than stellar lyrics and symbolic references. Compositionally, the quote of Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos" is unique. In tandem with the `church' theme, one can't help but notice the gospel references with the "ooo's" featured throughout. Musical frenzy erupts upon the lyric "You breathe the peace/our garden brings/aren't we grown?"
"Villain (I'll Stick Around)" references previously highlighted lyrics such as "neither here nor there" and references to being "golden." Interestingly, "Villain" opens with a spoken word interlude asking the question (arguably religious) "Is there anything you need in your life that you don't have?..." "An Artist's Song" re-references the chromatic 3rd progression of "Golden Eyelids" with slightly more `tension.' References to heaven and death again dominate, whether it be lines like "A fearful song/played by trumpets for my heart... I have a fear of darkness..." or "...And kindly returned me toward the sea/when my bones become soft/I'll keep the secret you gave me..." Closing cut "Vines" features the powerful lyric "I watch you fall away/fall away/as you cower under our graves..."
A A Church That Fits Our Needs is nothing short of phenomenal. Each time one listens, the album grows even more endearing and impressive. While an effort that won't achieve its commercial due due to its humble indie conceived nature, A Church That Fits Our Needs may easily be the year's best album.
"Moment One," a :48 interlude and intro, sets the tone for the effort, containing sparse piano clusters. Picker, who composes these fine, non-conventional songs uses space quite effectively to convey mysteriousness. Towards the end of the cut, sound effects lead into the first proper cut, the brilliant "Neither Here Nor There." The arrangement is very clean and spacious with a sound combination of bass, drums, and acoustic guitar. Picker's lead vocals are characterized by upper register and falsetto. Sometimes this slightly obscures the lyrics, but you get the sense that is the mysterious effect he is aiming for. The rhythmic devices help to truly propel "Neither Here Or There," particularly given its constant syncopation and use of hemiola (for classical folks). The lyrics are quite solemn: "Oh look in the golden light/after the sun burns out/loneliness you're haunting me...we're neither here nor there." Add in the use of timbre changes and "Neither Here Nor There" is heavy, yet perfect.
`Red' contains high symbolic value throughout this effort as Picker constantly references the color within his lyrics. The cut "Red" is nothing short of excellent, despite having a difficult act to follow in "Neither Here Nor There." Rhythmic motion characterizes, particularly through the use of the tambourine. The string arrangements are elegant and Picker's classical background continues to shine. A brilliant touch is the classical sounding piano lines derived from 20th century compositional practice that ends this cut. "Golden Eyelids" plays on a chromatic-third relationship, opening with a harmonic progression oscillating between C and E major chords; this progression unsurprisingly grace the effort later. The orchestrations continue to allure, most notably the fast, `signature' passages within the strings. There is no concrete refrain, but the reference to `red' is an important moment. The lyrics remain a selling point: "On my icy rim/behind your golden eyelids/are drops of your hair/oh but your tears/that your cancer's fade..." or the reference to `church' via "...with your bold fingers/turn this wicked toxin into a golden church..." Stunning.
"Icy River" is easily one of the most difficult, yet most beautiful cuts of A Church That Fits Our Needs. The orchestration is brilliant, incorporating most strings, quasi-operatic vocals, acoustic piano, and acoustic guitar. The harmonic progression and arrangement sound much like a church organ at times - yet another allusion to `church' if indirectly. The lyrics are chilling when he references `cremation': "Icy river/put your arms around my mother/I burned her body in the furnace/till all that's left was her glory..." Picker does not question his mother's strength on the powerful lyrics of the refrain: "Don't you ever dare think she was weakhearted/she led me to the woods where our church was started..."
"Tall Ceilings" is quicker, alluding once more to the color `red': "Fall up the staircase/flow like underwater/your glorious red something..." Also notable is the reference to `golden' and `eyes' once more: "All these lights/come around and open my gold eyes..." Picker's falsetto remains chilling and lovely as he tellingly conveys his poignant lyrics through the non-conventional meter (timing) of the music. The superb "Tall Ceilings" is followed by another `moment,' this time "Moment Two" is characterized by various sound effects from nature including foot steps moving closer and bird calls. No doubt this is symbolic to the `tone' poem that is A Church That Fits Our Needs.
"This Dead Bird is Beautiful" is as solid, touching, and beautifully eerie as anything else. Picker brilliantly uses repetitiveness within his lyrics to emphasize focal points, much like an `artist.' The references continue to run rampant, whether it be to heaven ("There's no walls in heaven") eyes, or the gospel-operatic treatment that surrounds lyrics "I won't come into my house, not when you're around." "Garden" is more enthusiastic than many cuts with no less than stellar lyrics and symbolic references. Compositionally, the quote of Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos" is unique. In tandem with the `church' theme, one can't help but notice the gospel references with the "ooo's" featured throughout. Musical frenzy erupts upon the lyric "You breathe the peace/our garden brings/aren't we grown?"
"Villain (I'll Stick Around)" references previously highlighted lyrics such as "neither here nor there" and references to being "golden." Interestingly, "Villain" opens with a spoken word interlude asking the question (arguably religious) "Is there anything you need in your life that you don't have?..." "An Artist's Song" re-references the chromatic 3rd progression of "Golden Eyelids" with slightly more `tension.' References to heaven and death again dominate, whether it be lines like "A fearful song/played by trumpets for my heart... I have a fear of darkness..." or "...And kindly returned me toward the sea/when my bones become soft/I'll keep the secret you gave me..." Closing cut "Vines" features the powerful lyric "I watch you fall away/fall away/as you cower under our graves..."
A A Church That Fits Our Needs is nothing short of phenomenal. Each time one listens, the album grows even more endearing and impressive. While an effort that won't achieve its commercial due due to its humble indie conceived nature, A Church That Fits Our Needs may easily be the year's best album.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Totally Stunning
I can't even explain how amazing this album is. I found "An Artist's Song" first because I caught it playing vaguely in Starbucks and then later, it was just there in my tagged... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nicole Grotepas
2.0 out of 5 stars
Okay, but not great
I bought this CD after reading an article in the WSJ on the top 10 CDs of 2012. I went through and listened to the CD multiple times but in the end other than the song Golden... Read more
Published 3 months ago by PT in NC
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best of 2012
This is a gorgeous, lush album from a group of very talented musicians. I am surprised that it did not make the lists of any of the indie or NPR dj's here in Seattle, because out... Read more
Published 4 months ago by jennifer lockett
5.0 out of 5 stars
Favorite Album of the Year
Amazing songwriting, beautiful and haunting horn parts, and OH that voice. If you ever have a chance to see this band live, DO IT. Read more
Published 4 months ago by C. Tan
5.0 out of 5 stars
New, different and very good
These songs are so staggeringly beautiful. I was lucky enough to see Living in Trees perform these songs at Duke University backed by an orchestra. Read more
Published 5 months ago by P. T. Mampilly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Take a listen...then another...and then another.
This emotional trip through the painful time after the death of a mother shouldn't be passed up. This is poetry; this is quality. Buy it.
Published 6 months ago by mattwelborn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome from beginning to end
I listened to this on Spotify numerous times and decided I wanted to own it. I liked several track on the last album, but I like this one even more and there not not a bad track... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Matthew Baker
4.0 out of 5 stars
Subtle. Nice.
Great album, compelling vocals; "An Artist's Song" is one of the best songs I've heard all year. For those that enjoy layered indie music with orchestral touches, this is for... Read more
Published 7 months ago by tstarkmi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
These guys are the next big thing. The next Florence + The Machines, the next Arcade Fire, the next Alabama Shakes, if talking recently. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Michael Bombard
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant Surprise
I will admit, I had never even heard of Lost In The Trees before. But one day, while looking through the free MP3 downloads here, I came across the song Golden Eyelids from this... Read more
Published 11 months ago by PeteFromPA
