Date: October 06, 2009
From: PlanetOut

Sacha Sacket Leaves The "Hermitage"

Popular singer-songwriter Sacha Sacket will release Hermitage, his fourth studio album, on Nov. 17, 2009.

Hermitage marks the follow-up to the artist's critically-acclaimed 2007 release, Lovers and Leaders , which was hailed by American Songwriter Magazine as "a melodic song cycle coupled with extraordinary lyrical depth," and helped to reinforce Sacket's position within his league of contemporaries such as Coldplay, Keane, and Rufus Wainwright, all of which, like Sacket, have placed pianos in the forefront of their music.

The new five-song EP was written and recorded by the self-taught piano rocker in a California mountain cabin, to which he disappeared after an exhaustive touring schedule. "When you are on your own and haven't seen anyone for more than a week, strange things rise to the surface," says Sacket. "In some cases, issues you didn't even know were there. You think about your life completely differently."

"I had surrounded myself with people so I could avoid listening to myself. Sometimes running away to some remote corner of the world is the only way to remember how to do that. Hermitage revolves around isolation and how that experience can transform you."

Based on Sacket's pure instrumental talent, the EP sonically captures his classical leanings, while interweaving electronics and modern rock. On the track "Running Away," for example, Sacket invokes the spookiness of the cabin at dark with the song's prominent cello, which first duels with his piano before opening into a delta of rushing alternative rock.

"Used" conjures up a world of sweeping alt-rock sounds, xylophone, and an aggressive cello - which all come together, immersing the listener in a reflective yet remorseful tale of self-betrayal.

Songs like "You Could" take listeners on a swaying, dreamlike ride through accordion-backed melodies and lyrics that, like any great song of the past, are timeless; and "Hold On and Hope," guides the listener through a delicate arrangement of rain-like drums, piano, and rich lap steel, which finally crescendo into an exaltation of faith and surrender.

Hermitage's urgent closer, "The River," exemplifies Sacket's vocal range and his magical ability to craft a swirl of sound around the listener with each instrument slowly transforming into the next, as he seamlessly merges synths with intricate piano work and electric guitar. The album's first single, "Running Away," will be serviced to radio in mid-October. The corresponding music video will be added to rotation on various cable music networks at the same time.

The limited edition of Hermitage will give fans a more visual experience of the album, with its unique packaging that includes an additional track, "The Sign Was Everywhere," along with extra photos, personally signed note, and several items one could discover within his mountain retreat.

For more information, visit Sacha Sacket's official Web site, www.sachasacket.com.