Lost in the Trees was an American orchestral folk pop band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The lineup consisted of Ari Picker (writer/vocals), Emma Nadeau (french horn/vocals), Drew Anagnost (cello), Jenavieve Varga (violin), and Mark Daumen (tuba). Lead singer Picker cites diverse influence such as Beethoven, Radiohead, Vivaldi, Neutral Milk Hotel, Saint-Saëns, and OutKast, among others.[1] Paste Magazine described its music as "mountaintop chamber music, a happy marriage of old folk traditions and even older orchestral ones," and listed the band among "The 20 Best New Bands of 2010."[2]
Lost in the Trees | |
|---|---|
 Lost in the Trees performing at the 2011 Hillside Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Genres | Folk, indie, orchestral |
| Years active | 2007–14 |
| Labels | Anti, Trekky |
| Members | Ari Picker Emma Nadeau Joah Tunnell Mark Daumen Peter Lewis |
| Past members | Will Hackney Scott Carle Leah Gibson Jenavieve Varga Andrew Anagnost Daniel Westerlund |
| Website | www.lostinthetrees.com (archived) |
History
editLost in the Trees formed in 2007 when lead singer/guitarist Ari Picker, a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, assembled a group of musicians to record the EP Time Taunts Me on Trekky Records.[3] Picker had previously been a member of The B-Sides. After studying at Berklee College of Music, he decided to attempt a more orchestral effort. Following the release of Time Taunts Me, Picker moved back to North Carolina and assembled a band drawn from the University of North Carolina's orchestral program and the pool of players connected with Trekky Records.[4]
The lineup consisted of Picker (writer/vocals), Emma Nadeau (french horn/vocals), Drew Anagnost (cello), Jenavieve Varga (violin), and Mark Daumen (tuba).[5][2] In 2010, Paste Magazine listed the band among "The 20 Best New Bands of 2010."[2]
All Alone in an Empty House and signing to ANTI-Records
edit
All Alone in an Empty House was originally released on Trekky Records in 2008.[6] The band signed to ANTI-Records on March 1, 2010[7] and their new label re-released the album on August 10 that year.[8]
Reviewing the record, Bob Boilen of NPR said, "Take a pinch of the brilliance found in classical music and mix it with [Picker's] own. Lost in the Trees is orchestral folk where the "orchestral" part isn't an afterthought. This is mighty potent stuff."[9] Keelan H. from Sputnik Music said, "Right from the swelling strings of six-minute opener “Empty House”, it’s clear that Lost in the Trees don’t take their “orchestral folk” label lightly."[10]
Time Taunts Me was reissued by Trekky Records on February 4, 2011 with the addition of previously unreleased tracks.[11]
A Church That Fits Our Needs
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On March 20, 2012, ANTI-Records released A Church That Fits Our Needs, Lost in the Trees' second record with the label.[12] Picker based the album largely on his mother's suicide in 2008, stating that "I wanted to give my mother a space to become all the things I think she deserved to be and wanted to be, and all the beautiful things in her that didn't quite shine while she was alive."[13]
Rolling Stone said of the album, "Ari Picker tries to make sense of his mother's suicide against a backdrop of rich orchestration, piled generously atop a base of delicate acoustic folk like heaping spoonfuls of vanilla frosting."[14] PopMatters said "A Church That Fits Our Needs bursts with the same melodic interplay that makes later Radiohead extraordinary."[15]
A Church That Fits Our Needs peaked at number 9 on Billboard's Heatseeker's Albums.[16]
Discography
edit- 2007 - Time Taunts Me (EP)
- 2008 - All Alone in an Empty House (reissued 2010)
- 2012 - A Church That Fits Our Needs
- 2014 - Past Life (album)
- 2023 - I Was a Dreamer (single)
References
edit- ^ Horowitz, Steven. "Lost in the Trees Interview: SXSW 2010". spinner.com. Spinner. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ a b c "The 20 Best New Bands of 2010". Paste Magazine. December 18, 2010.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Lost in the Trees". Billboard. All Music Guide. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^ "Lost in the Trees". All Music Guide. April 11, 2013.
- ^ Daniel Coston (2013). North Carolina Musicians; Photographs and Conversations
- ^ "Lost in the Trees". Discography. Trekky Records. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ "Lost in the Trees Signs With ANTI Records". anti.com. Anti- Records. Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ "All Alone In An Empty House: Liner Notes". Lost in the Trees albums. Anti- Records. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ Boilen, Bob (July 25, 2010). "First Listen: Lost In The Trees, 'All Alone In An Empty House'". NPR Music. NPR. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ H., Keelan (August 15, 2010). "Lost In The Trees All Alone In An Empty House". Music Reviews. Sputnik Music. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ Golden, Grant (February 4, 2011). "Album Review: "Time Taunts Me" by Lost in the Trees". The Bottom String. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ "Lost In The Trees A Church That Fits Our Needs". ANTI-Records. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ "Lost In The Trees: A Golden Memorial Of Orchestral Folk". NPR. March 25, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ Keyes, J. Edward. "A Church That Fits Our Needs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ Majorins, Philip. "Lost in the Trees: A Church That Fits Our Needs". PopMatters. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ "Lost in the Trees". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
External links
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