This is a review that I’ve been meaning to write for weeks. David Maxim Micic has returned with yet another exquisite collection of music which has, yet again, seen much regular rotation in the car. This time around, it comes in the form of “ECO” – the second half of David’s current EP cycle complimenting the supremely awesome “EGO” which came out back in mid July. “ECO”, on the other hand, came out smack in the middle of last month.
For those of you who missed out on that previous review for “EGO”, I may or may not have delivered a fanatically driven review filled to the brim with bias. And (spoiler alert) I’m gonna do the same shit all over again. All this positivity comes with good reason. Micic is a genius of a songwriter. His creative abilities are truly a jewel of our time. And OH! What a time it is to be alive!
What’s particularly interesting about the “EGO” and “ECO” EPs is that they act as a musical ying and yang. “ECO” brings a much more aggressive approach with arguably some of the heavier moments DMM has brought to date. Take the blast beat explosion of the track “Disorder”, for instance. On the flip side, “ECO” has an entirely chilled out vibe. This is David’s equivalent of easy listening with perhaps some of his most accessible and beautiful songwriting to date. Aside from the direct musical approach, the two also seem to differ thematically. “EGO” is more mechanized with more of a tortured and chaotic soul. “ECO” has more of a natural sound that is at peace with itself.
It begins with the sweet piano of “Universe In A Crayon” and ends in “Stardust”. Every track in between and including formulate the cherry on top of what might very well be one of the best (dual) releases of 2015. Every track encapsulates pure greatness in one form or another. Take the ear-worming melodies of “Satellite” or the movements of “The Flock”, for example. It really just needs to be heard.
Moments of this EP are so undeniably perfect that ears will fall off heads and emotions will be imprinted onto the very soul. It’s the kind of music that makes one wander into deep thought while staring at walls. I would actually enjoy watching paint dry to this soundtrack.
Also! The sheer talent from the cast of musicians collaborating on this release is just unreal. So here goes: the man Plini and Richard Henshall both make wicked appearances on guitar. Shravan Sridhar contributes on the electronic violin. Then you come to the vocal cameos… Dan Wieten of The Omega Experiment, Aleksandra Djelmas from David’s band Destiny Potato, Miyoki, and Scampi all provide brilliantly memorable parts with lots of unique personality at play. Every contribution is exceptionally utilized within the greater purpose of the EP.
To sum up this experience, I will say that – to me – this music is perfect. Objectively, of course, David’s generally abstract creations might not be everyone’s fresh cuppa. But fuck ’em. More cuppa for us lovers of great music, amirite? So let’s stop beating around the bush, shall we? David has completed the EP cycle with aural radiance, pulling in yet another 10 out of 10 review from TCP. Well deserved.
Links: Facebook // Bandcamp // iTunes
