Ari Picker felt exhausted and burned out by Lost In The Trees’ A Church That Fits Our Needs. The 2012 album memorialized Picker’s mother, who committed suicide in 2008. The project was deeply personal and deeply ambitious. It made many critics’ 2012 top-10 lists (including the top spot for the Wall Street Journal), and it led the North Carolina band to appear at New York’s Lincoln Center for the American Songbook Series. But the tour that preceded that show was fraught with challenges: Rock clubs weren’t the ideal venues for the band’s delicate dynamics and string arrangements for cellos and violins. After all that, Picker questioned his desire to make another album. But he has made another. Past Life (Anti-) jettisons many of Church’s identifying markers: It’s abstract and impressionistic rather than overtly personal, and it’s minimalist rather than maximalist. Picker will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Lost In The Trees feature.
Picker: If you ever end up in Asheville, N.C., go to Wedge. It’s located in the River Arts District in a old warehouse next to the train tracks. The main area is outdoors in the old train yard with the river flowing by. Go there on a sunny day and hang out with the local hippies and wizards. We recorded our new record in Asheville, and took a break from the studio to grab a beer at the Wedge, and I swear to god I saw Bryan Ferry playing cornhole! All the beers are all nicely balanced, nothing clipped or watery-tasting here. If you’re feeling spicy when you’re there, try the Golem, which is their Belgium strong ale. Good stuff!
Video after the jump.
