What have I just been listening to? Marketed as an artist influenced by the likes of Alice Cooper, Saint Vitus and Type O Negative, Arden Eckhart aspires to become the next shock rock sensation. I must admit, he possesses the appearance of a modern-day vampire. However, when it comes to the performance, it is truly something unprecedented and unheard of. Arden plays a distorted guitar, and quite often, when they decide to play a solo, the rhythm guitar abruptly ceases. The programmed drums exhibit a complete lack of rhythm, which is, in a way, a form of art, considering that programming a steady beat on a drum machine should be straightforward. Ethereal keyboard sounds make sporadic appearances, with Arden's dramatic baritone voice reigning over it all.

What I haven't quite deciphered is whether Arden Eckhart is an avant-garde musician or merely a novice. What seems evident is that they employ their music as a form of therapy. The lyrics are dark and deeply personal. The end result can be described as the pinnacle of outsider music. It reminded me of the enigmatic Jandek and, oddly enough, the later albums by the late Scott Walker. The unconventional song structures and instrumentation left me wondering if the artist had fully fleshed-out songs in his mind but was unable to translate them into music.

The album's title Baggage appears to symbolize the emotional weight Arden Eckhart carries with him. This is an exceedingly intimate album, brimming with eerie sounds that don't quite conform to the conventional definition of music. There's a stream-of-consciousness quality to it, perhaps even a touch of spontaneous creativity. One thing is certain; Baggage is anything but an easy-listening album. It's likely impossible to sit through its 75-minute duration in one sitting. It could even be employed as a form of cruel torture if one were so inclined. I find myself both intrigued and slightly repelled. Listening to Arden Eckhart is akin to engaging in sonic voyeurism. If you're drawn to the peculiar realm of outsider music, Arden Eckhart might just be the newest star on the horizon. Who knows, one day they may even be mentioned in the same breath as Wesley Willis, Daniel Johnston, Jandek, and The Shaggs.

14 songs

75:43 minutes

?!?!!??

Genre: undefinable

(self-released)

Artist pages:
Bandcamp
Instagram