ECHO STREET

Amplifier are at the top of their game, and their new album "Echo Street" shows this very clearly. As the band confessed in press interviews, Echo Street is primarily an album born out of necessity. With the planned follow-up to The Octopus, Mystoria, being still in the making and a long way from being ready for release, and with their finances wearing thin, in 2012 the band realized they needed a new album out. Soon. So in just about 2 months, they wrote and recorded "Echo Street", which was then quickly released on Kscope in early 2013. With such premises, I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical when I ordered my copy of Echo Street.

How wrong was I. Echo Street is a fantastic record. The music is typical Amplifier: pulsating basses and effected guitars conjure to create dream-like, spacey textures for the delicate, never banal, melodies sung by Sel Balamir's distinctive voice. The first three songs are a great demonstration of Amplifier's unique brand of dark yet lively space rock. But there are surprises too, like the mellower ballad "Where the River Goes" (but watch out for the interstellar instrumental crescendo in the middle of the song), or the acoustic "Between Today and Yesterday", which hints to early 70s pastoral folk. Despite the limited span of time that the band has devoted to the writing of this album, it's difficult to find a weak spot: all songs are excellent, have a great structure, a great sound, and great melodies. I truly enjoy the album from start to finish."Paris in the Spring" is perhaps the only piece that fails to impress as much as the other songs do.

Overall, I highly recommend this album. If you are already an Amplifier fan , this album won't disappoint you. While the moods and atmospheres may be different and perhaps lighter than those on "The Octopus", "Echo Street" is a collection of great, 100% Amplifier tunes. If you have never heard of Amplifier, then I would recommend this too, as a good place to start to get to know the band. The spontaneity and diversity of the songs on "Echo Street" constitutes an excellent showcase of the band's talent and breadth.

***** songs: Extra Vehicular, Matmos; **** songs: The Wheel, Between Today & Yesterday, Echo Street, Mary Rose, Where the River Goes; *** songs: Paris In The Spring

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