If you’re a rock/indie/alternative singer, having a saxophone prominently featured in your song is a risky proposition. Only a few have successfully pulled it off. Bruce Springsteen is at the top of the list (rest in power, Clarence Clemons), Bleachers is currently doing it and then there’s David Bowie’s hit, “Young Americans.”
And yet, the new single from Art d’Ecco, “Disappear Here,” elevates the rocking sax to a new level. Not only does it totally work, it’s impossible to imagine the song without it.
Art d’Ecco (legal name unknown) is a musician from British Columbia who’s going to be releasing his sixth album, Scheele’s Green, next month. One single was released earlier this year, the seven-minute long “The Death of Indie.” It’s full of chaotic energy, and the artist takes aim at data centers and tech oligarchs with righteous anger that also rocks.
“Disappear Here,” the new single, continues this theme. In a statement accompanying the song’s video, d'Ecco explained that the song’s title comes from the Bret Easton Ellis novel Less Than Zero. “Our addiction to being seen comes at a cost,” he said. “(The title) serves as an admonition for the vain pursuit of being seen, in a world of disappearing art and culture.”
d’Ecco is already five albums into his career, and although we don’t know his age, we can call him a veteran of the music business at this point, so when he sings the outro, we can take him at his word:
“I tried to warn you once before / To no avail / So put that phone down and look at me / I’ll tell you again: /Hey you — ya you / You can disappear without a trace.”
And then there’s that saxophone, adding just the right amount of sleaze and grittiness to the song. If someone was playing that line on an electric guitar (or even a trumpet) it just wouldn’t hit the same. It had to be a saxophone, which, as a guitar player and former trumpeter, is something I never thought I’d type.
Scheele’s Green from Art d’Ecco will be released on Oct. 23. Both singles are available on Bandcamp and streaming services.
