ALBUM PREMIERE: 'Precious Moments' by Prison Escapee
Prison Escapee
A Mesmerizing World Of Sounds.
Prison Escapee's latest album, 'Precious Moments', is a collection of brilliantly heartwarming and creative love songs dedicated to his wife, Celina. Across 28 minutes and 33 seconds, we are pulled into a world that fuses The National with Portishead; Mogwai with Springsteen; and suddenly, we feel like we're in the closing scenes of a Paul Thomas Anderson film. Out on April 2nd, Erik David Hidde's latest offering is a very, very good album.
Firstly, I really love 'Precious Moments' because, while we are constantly presented with a mesmerizing world of sounds, the instrumentation never detracts from the lyricism or the meaning of these songs. A lot of the charm in this album comes from the fact that it seems to revolve around these incredibly relatable little snippets of domestic bliss. For example, on Track 2: "Beware of Dog", Erik told us that this song was about "sharing your fears and life with someone while enjoying the little things," and he beautifully paints this picture when he sings, "I just wanna be making out, on the couch, holding hands, facing fears, together."
In the opening track, Erik declares upon a swell of dancing synths and drawn-out trumpets that, "When I see her, I see me" (Track 1: "Preacher's Daughter"). I find that there is something very third-album-Bon-Iver about this song in its unconventional song structure, but the form is hardly relevant when every second sounds so damn good. It's a brave, creative move and a massive credit to Erik's artistry that he can make the instrumentation follow the lyrics wherever they want to go. For example, next, he then sings, "and I feel free," and naturally, the synths soar, the beat drops and the song flies away from us. What makes all this so impressive is that not only does Prison Escapee have such a clear and ambitious artistic vision, but Erik also records, engineers, performs, writes, and produces his albums entirely himself. We learned about this process in our review of his previous album, '20/20'.
MORE: Album Premiere ‘20/20’ by Prison Escapee
Thematically, as the album goes on, we move from ideas of finding true love to the fear of not wanting to die (Track 8: "Life After Death") and having to apologize for being difficult (Track 7: "Hard to Please"). Musically, we also start to see Prison Escapee cover new ground, moving from "Beware Of Dog" post-rock feel to M83-esque electronica on "Life After Death".
Something that particularly struck me was Erik's dynamism as a lyricist and vocalist. For example, lyrics like, "I remember everything, everything that we've done, our first kiss, and the web that we've spun" (Track 5: "Web Of Love"). On top of this, we start to see a more intimate and croaky vocal style ("Hard To Please" and "Nothing Lost"), and it's hard to believe that you're not listening to Matt Barninger of The National.
I love that 'Precious Moments' flawlessly and seamlessly jumps from one genre to another with each song. A track that stood out for me was "Nothing Lost". While it starts as a brooding mediation on not wanting to lose someone, it doesn't take long for Erik's vocals to leap into an electrifying falsetto. At the same time, the track drops into a trip-hop groove that definitely wouldn't be out of place on a Portishead record. Overall, the album is a unique mix of lo-fi, post-rock, cinematic electronica, and it's fascinating to learn where Erik gets his inspiration. Luckily, on a previous artist takeover, he walked us through some of his favorite songs.
MORE: Artist Takeover: Prison Escapee’s Musical Influences
I won't go through every track as I best leave some of the magic for you to discover first hand. But the main thing is that 'Precious Moments' does pull you into a world filled with intimate details, lived experiences, unique textures, and soulful musical performances. In a previous feature, he told us that his favorite artist was Nick Drake and that he had first come across his music during the closing stages of the film Serendipity. I wonder if this is something that Erik keeps in mind when he writes his music because 'Precious Moments' sounds like so much more than simply a collection of great songs. This album is the soundtrack to Celina and his life; it's a soundtrack to live, love, and lose to; and it's a soundtrack we should expect to see on the silver screen.
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Written by George Barnett
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