One of the Greats
Tracked down 'Gravity Pulls'. Let me start by saying I had never heard of Echobelly (I'm in Miami) until I heard "Get me thru the good times' during a preshow in a movie theatre in 2005, so not a Britpopper or whatever. . . and wow. . . the production is toprate, the guitars beautifully played, the vocals edgy Karen Carpenter (I swear thats it how it first hit me). . . this is one of the rares, an album without filler (or singles) whatsoever. . . not a note u would change. The lyrics are very offbeat but accessible and thoughtful, the beat and mood is reflective and grooved. . if you had to call this anything you would call it 'cool music'.
My favorites are 'You started a Fire etc' turn this up loud and whoa. . :)
and everything else really, a masterpiece. .
Up there in Sonic Heaven
The album is a bit uneven, but its high points, such as the title track, "Djinn," and, perhaps best of all, "You Started A Fire. I'd been wondering what became of Echobelly, the band having been off the radar here in the states for some time, and came across this offering of sublime, ultra-melodic, ethereal dream-pop. . . " (with its memorable keyboard hook), are very high indeed.
Sonya Madan's vocals sound as beautiful as ever, and the production has a dreamy, somewhat Sergio Leone ambience, with twangy guitars complementing the backgound wash beautifully.
Absolutely lovely. .
A mellow, dreamlike album
What rock there is here is very laid-back, and tha album as a whole is dreamlike. Echobelly's fifth album goes farther in the mellow direction of 2001's "People Are Expensive". If not for Sonya Aurora Madan's voice, this wouldn't be recognizable as the same band that made "On", and the album is likely to chase a lot of Echobelly's early fans away. The songwriting here is easily the weakest of any of Echobelly's albums; even "People Are Expensive" had at least four songs I like better than anything here. Still, the sound on this album is SO good, with excellent production by Ian Grimble, Madan's lovely voice, and Glenn Johansson's tasteful guitar playing, that I'm tempted to give the album a fourth star, and I may come back at a later date and do so. The overall listening experience here is still very worthwhile if you're in the right frame of mind for it. My favorite tracks are "To Get Me Thru the Good Times" and "What You Deserve". Songs like "You Started a Fire in the Heart of a Wasted Life" and "One in a Million" sound like they could have fit in on earlier Echobelly albums, but their rock intensity has been muted to fit in here. If you're looking for a album to kick back and relax with late at night, this could be the perfect album for you.
(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)
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Welcome Comeback
So, it was with a bit of trepidation that I leapt into Gravity Pulls. I hadn't checked in on Echobelly since late 1998's dandy Lustra album and frankly figured they just passed the way of other late, great bands of the same era (hello Sleeper? Louise, where are ya?). It took about 10 seconds of the first track to bring a smile to my face and realize Sonya's voice is better than ever - rich, warm, lovely and aching in all the right places. I forgot how much I missed it.
The writing is richer more mature (but don't take that to mean boring) than previous efforts. I don't hear a big poppy radio single on this, so it will likely not get much exposure, especially in the United States. That's a shame. This is a strong, assured album - check out the sampler tracks here on Amazon and decide for yourself. I for one am happy Sonya is singing again. She is one of the best vocalists out there. Hopefully, it won't take another 7 years to get the next album. If you were an Echobelly fan, check this out, I don't think you will be disapponited. If you weren't, this just might make you one.
Echobelly shines!!!
The album "Gravity Pulls" confirms the talented they are. I was first introduced to Echobelly years ago with the single "Insomniac" and I have been a fan of theirs since then. How can they write so many solid songs?. Listen to "Gravity Pulls", the beautiful first track, and you will wonder why they are not bigger!.
You can see a complete list of all Echobelly discography, or go back to the Echobelly tabs
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