A Church That Fits Our Needs

Lost in the Trees’ 2010 debut appears to be the first stage of grief for onetime Berklee student Ari Picker, whose mother committed suicide in 2009. On *A Church That Fits Our Needs*, Picker worked to create a “space for (his) mother’s soul to go,” even putting her solemn face on the cover. LITT’s orchestral ensemble—cellos, violins, French horn, acoustic guitars, pianos and more—and Picker’s own delicate (yet powerful) and androgynous voice indeed conjure a magical place that glitters with a twilight-colored promise. Poignant lyrics of cancers and lost babies (twins, in his mother’s case) are intertwined with poetic images of birds in flight, glowing forests, and golden armor. “Loneliness, you’re haunting me,” he trills unsteadily in the sweet “Neither Here nor There,” while a harpsichord is struck and clattering percussion keeps the tune somersaulting along. There\'s a lovely, childlike feel here at times, though it’s on equal footing with a mature and introspective guiding hand. *A Church That Fits Our Needs* is an extraordinarily beautiful “place”; we thank Picker for letting us see it.

The woman who stares out at you from the cover of Lost in the Trees’ second album resembles a Renaissance muse more than a…

The woman who stares out at you from the cover of Lost in the Trees’ second album resembles a Renaissance muse more than a…

Check out our album review of Artist's A Church That Fits Our Needs on Rolling Stone.com.

Check out our album review of Artist's A Church That Fits Our Needs on Rolling Stone.com.

In the summer of 2009, as Lost in the Trees frontman Ari Picker was readying the band's debut full-length album, Picker's mother committed suicide.

In the summer of 2009, as Lost in the Trees frontman Ari Picker was readying the band's debut full-length album, Picker's mother committed suicide.

Lost In The Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs review: The heart strains.

Lost In The Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs review: The heart strains.