jack's soul & rock corner

Echobelly
On (1995)
320

British bands come in all types of sound, style and personalities. Toss the Smiths, the Cranberries and James into a blender and you'll get something that resembles Echobelly. The band's second CD, On, is a fine collection of well-written and meaningful songs. Echobelly's charm is provided by vocalist Sonya Aurora Madan, who sounds very much like Ivy's Dominque Durand. The songs, written by both Madan and band co-founder Glenn Johansson, flow smoothly throughout. Madan's lyrics are striking. Echobelly's sound is inventive if for no other reason than the departure from the trademark thin sound perpetuated by British groups like Blur and Elastica. Johansson's tremolo-filled guitar work is rumored to have been the inspiration for the fuzzed guitars played by Peter Buck in R.E.M.'s Monster-era incarnation. Thankfully absent from On are the annoying, overused affectations sometimes impossible to avoid in British music. The songs are irresistible and fresh. Check it out.

1. Car Fiction
2. King Of The Kerb
3. Great Things
4. Natural Animal
5. Go Away
6. Pantyhose and Roses
7. Something Hot In A Cold Country
8. Four Letter Word
9. Nobody Like You
10. In The Year
11. Dark Therapy
12. Worms And Angels
13. On Turn On (acoustic)*
14. Natural Animal (acoustic)*
* bonus tracks

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