RACHEL

Well, at this moment I may not complain about the situation for the lesser known and unknown new progrock bands on Prog Archives: last week Oaksenham from Armenia was added, fellow symphomaniac Bhikkhu is busy with the inclusions of Neverness from Spain and Obscura from Italy and today I noticed that Echoes from France is added, good work! Echoes is a new French four piece band with an additional female player on flute traverse. This second CD entitled Rachel is an own production and distributed by the excellent French progrock label Musea

Listening to Rachel I presume that the band name Echoes is a kind of tribute to the sound of Pink Floyd their album Meddle but I also hear elements from early Jane and Eloy. Echoes their sound is build upon lots of tension between the dreamy and more compelling parts with lots of organ and sensitive electric guitar. Remarkably is the variety in the instrumentation: twanging guitar and organ in Night The First, sensitive electric guitar and sparkling Grand piano in I Met With Scorn, a sumptuous church organ sound with fiery guitar and vocal harmonies in The Lift, Grand piano and flute traverse with a swelling organ sound in Supermarket Santa Claus and piano with flute and biting wah-wah guitar in Until The Last Shadow Is Gone. One of my favorite tracks is The March Of Rachel: majestic piano play, then a slow rhtyhm with propulsive guitar work and catchy guitar runs, followed by fragile piano flights and a tight tango rhythm with theatrical vocals, this sounds like a rock-opera!

I had to get used to the English vocals of these Frenchmen (three musicians also sing), especially in I Met With Scorn the accent is a bit too obvious. But I am glad that in general the vocals sound OK although I would have been more pleased with French vocals ( I always prefer native language). My conclusion: a wonderful album with moving work on organ and guitar that has carried me away many times during the running time of 60 minutes! My rating: 3,5 stars.