DAILYCD.COM
March 28, 2006
"Let the songs fly like rain / Into your brain," sings San Francisco multi-instrumentalist Etienne De Rocher on the first track of his self-titled debut: "Say goodbye to your friends / Let it come to an end / Start something new / Like all things do." With these lyrics inviting you into the party, De Rocher's irresistible mélange of acoustic guitar-based, California breezy, barefoot, palm tree-lined grooves make sure you get comfortable fast and want to stay a while.
Five years in the making, Etienne De Rocher has that unhurried, put-together artistic coherence that comes with great albums of the bell-bottomed past, specifically the early 1970s-a time when cover art was meant to be stared at while tripping out on the headphones, and each side of an LP took you on a mystic journey. In setting out to recapture that feeling, De Rocher deftly avoids traditional pop-song structures, letting choruses and verses change and disappear in an agreeably loose-footed, ramshackle style. The lovely "Juniper Rose" for example, features the combination of a maraca, heavy acoustic guitar lick, Morse code, and a crashing cymbal, all coming together in a "stuff that sounds this easy takes a lot of time to do right" sort of vibe. The country-bluesy "Everybody Thinks You're a Smash," with its finger-picked chicken-strut acoustic guitar, splits the difference between the Mississippi Delta and the Sunset Strip and everyone comes out a suntanned winner.
A superb backing band, including string section, playing on vintage analog equipment lends everything extra 1970's soulful warmth. Rocher's unusual raps and groovy instrumental touches, like the Jew's harp and funky whistling of "Bama Bino Goodbye," make this the sonic equivalent of that new pair of vintage jeans that are so preworn comfortable that you have to give all of your other clothes away. It's the perfect soundtrack for long road-trips down the coast with a backseat full of friends. And if it can't play on an old 8-track, the CD player will work just fine-the jewel case scratched and faded underneath your seat, as the album sings you into a whole new phase of your vagabond life.