"As Fully Realized Debut As You're Likely to Come Accross "
Music Matters Magazine (October 2005 Issue)
Quietly playing the Southern California Club Scene over the last few years, four-piece indie pop group Echo Revolution has managed to elude the spotlight while honing their craft. On the evidence of this debut album, the time spent woodshedding is paying dividends. Featuring superb musicianship and intricate arrangements from Robin Eisenberg (keyboards), Lee Harding [vocals, guitar], Nathan Schaedler (drums), and Andy Villa-Boas (bass), the band's music has touches that reveal 80's musical influences wrapped around a range of styles spanning from punk-tinged guitar rockers to jazzy piano ballads. With both excellent production and a fistful of topnotch songs, this is as fully realized a debut as you're likely to come across, right down to the packaging. It's not often that something as generally overlooked as an album cover grabs attention anymore, but here the band truly excels, presenting a series of striking yet subtle images that echo favorably the sort of photo fantasy LP graphics that might have been produced by famed seventies art house Hipgnosis. Well-sequenced, the songs flow together seamlessly. Quirky opener "Footnote" manages both soaring chorus and arty sound collage bridge while new wave stomper "Drive Thru Wedding" has serious groove, complete with an inspired vocal from Harding. Other highlights include melancholy rocker "Carousel" as well as "Raincoat", which spotlights some of Eisenberg's best keyboard work. The disk closes with a stark piano-and-harmonies version of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love", an excellent rendition, but easily surpassed by the eight originals here. And there lies the disc's greatest fault; at only 9 tracks, the album is disappointingly brief. But, if you like melodically clever piano-based pop, this release can be summed up in three brief sentences. Cool band name. Cool graphics. Great music. You can't lose.
"Chill, Urbane Post-Pop"
Reviewer Magazine (Issue Number 30)
One of a handful of fresh, original and inspiring releases of 2005, "In the Wire", although brief for a full-length CD, at around forty minutes, doesn't contain any superfluous filler tracks just for the purposes of making it longer. It has just what it needs: chill, urbane post-pop, imbued with an icy nonchalance and, as a finale, a stark, bare-bones (piano, voice) cover of "Satellite of Love." The rest of the CD, however, is pure originality, in terms of its inability to be confused with countless other banalities out there in radioland.
"Dreamy Alternapop Perfection"
Music Matters Magazine (September 2005 Issue)
Recorded by Alan Sanderson (Rolling Stones, Weezer) of Strate Sound and Mike Kamoo of Earthling Studios, Echo Revolution's In the Wire contains eight original tracks of dreamy, alternapop perfection and an absolutely sublime rendition of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love." The band members claim in their press kit that they "set out to present an emotional, dynamic, and soulful experience." In the Wire delivers. To hear Echo Revolution visit their website or check them out on MySpace at www.myspace.com/echorevolution.
"Almost Impossible to Dislike"
Splendid Magazine
Echo Revolution make no secret of the influence brought to bear on them by U2, REM, and Radiohead, but within the framework created by triangulating their heroes, they cultivate their own unique atmosphere. In The Wire is also reminiscent of Koufax's in-your-face piano rock, sans attitude. Rather than a punky swagger, they exude an endearing innocence and an understated charisma that makes them almost impossible to dislike.
Lead singer Lee Harding's voice is fluid and forceful, emotive and energetic. In opener "Footnote", he presents himself with a sheepish poeticism before bursting into a soaring, anthemic chorus. "Raincoat" recalls Belle & Sebastian's jazzy pop; its two-bar breakdown features a toe-tickling piano solo that demonstrates the band's versatility and talent. And when Robin Eisenberg steps up to the mic for album closer "Satellite Love", her subtly sultry Sarah McLachlan-style musings will make you wonder why her voice isn't more prominently featured throughout In The Wire.
Between Harding and Eisenberg's talents, Echo Revolution are well-equipped to invade the airwaves with their polished brand of indie pop. Their dominant vocal presence aside, if it weren't for the piano that jumps out the background of acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums, there'd be little to distinguish the band from their peers. That said, they definitely have what it takes for widespread appeal -- strong vocal melodies, intelligent lyrics and an enjoyable musical palette with just the right mix of pop hooks, energy and character.
“In the Wire” Shines
Smother.net, June 11, 2005
For a sophomore album this is pretty mature sounding. They sound like those indie rock bands that got sick and tired of sounding lo-fi and went big budget with polished production and mixing. Accompanying the pop-rock formula with a notion that you don’t have to rely on just a chorus-verse chorus format to write catchy songs, “In the Wire” shines through the dank recesses of rock’s
factories offering up something that indie kids can like and mainstreamers can question what that song was that just was played in some quick edit cut of an MTV reality show (their “Aura” is licensed to MTV).
Brit Pop is Alive and Well
West Coast Independent, July 3, 2005
San Diego California has produced a band that sounds like they just stepped off a double decker bus in London England. Britpop is alive and well and it’s all good.
Echo Revolution have self produced a great independent album here. The songs are well constructed British influenced dynamic pop songs that bring the listener in and introduce them to the band very honestly as they play through their closest emotional soundscapes.
The band is proficient on their instruments and seem to play well together, bring dynamics, feel and groove to the CD.
I particularly like “Alive Tonight” and “Drive-Thru Wedding”
contact: us@echorevolution.com