By Jonny Bakes

Not being one to limit myself to a particular sphere of music, I tend to find myself jumping onto the more left-field releases when they arrive at ÜRHQ. This release definitely falls into that category of being something that I would have been unlikely to find any other way, yet here I am settling down listening to Art d’Ecco who disappointingly has nothing to do with my favourite dolphin, but definitely promises a bit of an aural experience…

Boasting a neo-glam style that will encompass a concept album about entertainment and its impact on our daily lives, there’s enough to immediately grab my attention. ‘In Standard Definition’ arrives on the back of a successful debut album from Art d’Ecco with ‘Trespasser’ which serves as an appetiser for the album I have in front of me today. The debut album was enough to result in an invitation from neo-psych rockers Temples to join them on the road, so there’s clearly something about Art d’Ecco worth getting excited about, but will ‘In Standard Definition’ prove to be an understatement for the quality of the album? I settled down to find out for myself!

On my initial listen, I was quickly drawn in by the nostalgic feel of the album. It really channels some of the greats of the glam movement of the late 60s/70s with really clear influences from the likes of T Rex, Bowie and Sweet. But the more attention I paid, I was able to pick up some other hints of music from the same era. In particular there’s even some odd flashes of 70s disco cropping up, in the vein of Earth, Wind & Fire (which many will know holds a special place in my music collection). Even the production itself maintained this level of nostalgia, with the whole album being committed to tow-inch tape on a 50-year old console and using some tasty 70s drums production for that authentic sound. This is then combined with a revolving cast of musicians from all over the shop, with jazz players on the horns and string players from the Victoria Symphony Orchestra among those selected to play.

I hadn’t realised how much ‘In Standard Definition’ got under my skin. Perhaps because, in a way, a revisit to glam rock feels very refreshing as a detour from my usual listening material which can generally be considered to be “heavy shit”. In particular the track ‘I Am The Dance Floor’ really stuck with me from the moment the incredibly funky disco bassline kicked in. For me it invoked deep-set memories of watching reruns of TOTP2 but I think perhaps what sold it for me was the definite nod at CHIC (and potentially even the cowbell hinting at the Sugarhill Gang sampling of ‘Good Times’).

Overall, for what was a complete lucky dip for me, this has been a pretty impressive album. Coming into it with zero expectations, I was blown away by the authenticity of the glam rock sound that forms the core of ‘In Standard Definition’. But it’s really a lot more than just a homage to glam rock, the elements of ‘70s disco, ‘80s synth and more really add to the sound to create something well worth listening to. I asked the question earlier whether the album title would prove to be an understatement, and I can safely say that it is. Hell, this is easily 1080p quality for sure!

  • ‘In Standard Definition’ is released on Friday (23 April). You can get your copy HERE.

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