Today I'm especially glad to spend time on an artist I met a couple of years ago when I came across his 2022 'Innovations of Grave Perversity'. From the moment I first listened to Eric Terino's music I knew I was dealing with something exceptional. A young artist with an old soul, a talented musician and poet that walks his own path in an industry that rarely affords original music. His latest LP 'Indelible Sundries' expands Terino's sepia-tinted world and I'm here to over-analyze it like the music creep that I am.
The familiar, ghastly melody of 'Intro' opens the curtain together with vivid strings introducing an unforgettable moment of the previous 'Innovations of Grave Perversity'. ‘An Augury of Hope’ is the first exhibit of the artist's retouching, which finds him ‘wandering still’ over minimal instrumentation that leaves his fragile voice balancing like a brave child on a bike, ready to get rid of the auxiliary wheels. The song gets stripped of anything decorative and brings its essence to the front by keeping only the necessities. The tender harp and flute of ‘Churches Rise on My Skeleton’ could put someone to sleep if there wasn’t the urge to hang from every single word of the tirelessly flowing poetry: ‘These days I can barely speak, there are places the razor can’t reach’. A deep, melancholic slow burn. ‘Invocations’ is a guitar-driven, slow-mo waltz that’s not far from the original, cozy yet methodical structure-wise, like knitting a Christmas sweater for a loved one.
The following ‘The Ballad of Misguided Affection’ is a lullaby, sister to ‘Churches Rise on my Skeleton’ where the artist delivers a love song in a graceful, subtly playful manner. A rare moment lyrically, with Terino writing down everything as it is, without allegories. My personal favorite ‘Torture the Dead’ is a breath of fresh air considering its distance from the prototype and this track is the reason live albums are especially valuable. Sang in a lower tone, with a lighter instrumental, ‘Torture the Dead’ sounds jazzier, slower, almost like a whole new piece and apparently there are lots of elements to be appreciated here. The bass of ‘Enough’ grounds the listener who’s been in a heavenly ride for quite a while and paves the way for some of the artist's earlier work to come through. 'Enough' originates from his 2013 LP 'Mountains of Nothing in Love'.
Now, the sorrowful violins of ‘Mark’ strongly remind of Aguilera’s Stripped gem ‘I’m Ok’ and it feels refreshing to make such an unexpected connection. ‘Mountains of Nothing in Love’ is weirdly enticing and slightly uncomfortable with Jollie Holland’s contribution soothing the aching expression of Terino. Holland’s voice sounds mature and absolute acting as a robust, foundational layer. Almost as if she was a human baseline. Next to the previous ‘The Ballad of Misguided Affection’ sits the beautiful storytelling of ‘It’s not for me Anymore’ while ‘Crow Congregations’ is dancing up and down and side to side, cunning like a fox and oscillating like a pendulum. Terino speaks with riddles ‘Everything here’s like baby’s breath in old murky water’ keeping some things to himself and letting us create scenarios or fall in love with the unknown. In other news, the 2nd place for the most radical transformation goes to... ‘Body Gets Stoned’. Once a bard song, now a cradlesong, the track emphasizes on the lyrics more than before and the words are dripping onto the music like sweet, pure honey.
The unfiltered ‘Not a Hole’ is a jaw dropper during the first listen. Before you know it, all the sex, drugs and toxic behaviors will have you laughing or dancing like a medieval joker. A surreal mix of events given in a comical way to exorcise the past and make fun of our naive selves for seeking acceptance in the wrong places, chasing the most unfitting people. That's only one way to receive the multifaceted and extremely personal ‘Not a Hole’. And if that was not THE moment of Indelible Sundries, maybe the bridge of the following 'Ghost' is. Here we have Terino taking a walk outside his comfort zone and exploding like some Punk/Rock frontman of a garage band: 'There’s nothing I can do to bring you back. The lights are dimming now - You’re waiting underground and I’ve been up here wading through the past'.
Moving on to 'Felt' which is more intense, string-centered and sounds a bit repetitive compared to the original, with a mix that compliments the music more than the vocals. I personally missed the way the spacious instrumental glorified the emotional performance of Terino in the original 'Felt' even though I strongly support the freedom of a live album to explore new territories. Little before the end, Holland joins Terino once more to revisit 'I Didn't Live There' a moving ballad about passing time, distance and the journey of life. Approached like 'An Augury of Hope' the track gets rid of most of its layers for its core to shine. The result is soft and sensual like silk. Without losing the flow, the journey ends with 'No More Sad Refrains', a short and comprehensive epilogue about hope and reaching for one's higher self: 'Here comes the morning, how it pleases - Its golden light will wash away the dust of yesterday'.
After many sessions with Terino's first live album (4th LP), we're reminded of the artist's dedication to his idiosyncratic character and vision as well as his undeniable talent in all aspects of his projects. From the concept of a tour brought through an album, both visually and musically, to re-imagining a big part of his discography, the artist proves that love and effort are bound to raise the bar every time and inspire to create entire worlds. Eric Terino -as stated before- will find an audience in fans of artists like Asgeir, Tori Amos, Serpentwithfeet and 'Indelible Sundries' is a vintage resort for a newcomer to rest their head from the modern world and explore Terino's desaturated universe of self-awareness, deep contemplation and emotional maturity. Until next time, take care!
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