Echoboy

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Debut release from psychedelic electronic project fronted by Richard Warren, ex-singer/songwriter/guitarist for the Hybirds. Limited edition version, packaged in a paper gatefold sleeve. 1999 release.

Tracks:

55
Kit And Holly
Model 352
Broken Hearts
Constantinople
Crocodile Milk
Walking
Contact

Customer Reviews:

Sneaky in the best possible way.......2003-08-08

I keep waiting for the electronic fans to come out of the woodwork in support of Echoboy, but it doesn't seem to be happening. Well anyway, this album is less tuneful and more ambient than "Vol. 2", and just plain better than "Giraffe."
If you've heard neither, than here's what the album is: psychedelic lo-fi electronic, good for night drives or days spent cleaning your apartment alone (sad, but true). It would probably make you rip your hair out if you were high, since it manages to ease into harsh industrial sounds before you can notice, but in a sober state this is often an unexpected and pleasant surprise. The best thing about this album is that it proves restraint is still an asset in the electronic world. Just because you have everything but the kitchen sink at your disposal doesn't mean you have to throw it all in. Echoboy doesn't insist on grabbing the listener's attention. He just waits for the listener to give it up. That takes guts to do.

Background noise for your head.......2000-11-09

Maybe it was the mood I was in the day this CD arrived. I had only heard the "pop"ish track Kit and Holly. I wasn't expecting mood swinging ambient noise nearly void of lyrics. This CD feels like a work in progress. It's great in it's simplicity but also makes you wonder, what if lyrics had been written or the arrangements developed more. Then again, why mess with a good thing. As it go's with most good albums, the song you bought it for turns out to be the least impressive once you get into the rest. This one is going to get a lot of play...until Volume 2 is released.

Listen to this one a couple of times . . ........2000-06-11

The first time I listened to this disk I didn't like it very much. Part of the problem is that I didn't know exactly what to expect; the Krautrock references that some have made (ie neu!, etc) regarding Echoboy are somewhat accurate, in that the music here is relatively minimal. Now that I've listened to this album more, though, I appreciate what Echoboy is getting at. There is a nice sense of melody here: the songs are built on clean, spare melody lines and elecronic underpinnings. Also, this album flits from idea to idea; no two songs sound quite alike. 55 is an ambient wash of mellow sound; kit & holly is a indie-rock sounding pop song (and is pretty catchy to boot); broken hearts has a slowly circling guitar line over synthesized drums. Sometimes the minimal nature of the songs is frustrating, but then the music doesn't really hold up to intense listening. It's better as background music (that's not necessarily a negative thing). Anyhow, if relatively minimal but melodic music that sounds like a car wreck between lo-fi electronica and indie rock is your thing, then this album is probably for you.

Average customer rating:

This album needs circulation

Volume 2
Echoboy
Manufacturer: Mute U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Electronic Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Volume One

ASIN: B0000516TB
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Tracks:

Turning On
Telstar Recovery
Kelly's Truck
Siobhan
Make The City The Sound
Schram And Sheddle 262
Sudwestfunk No.5
Circulation
High Pitch Needs

Customer Reviews:

This album needs circulation.......2001-09-14

If you enjoy Death in Vegas or other low-to-the-ground, rock/electronic hybrids, please check out Echoboy. Volume 2 has what many electronic albums today lack: a feeling of humanity. Though this album will obviously not make its way into the radio mainstream, there are enough hooks to lure the listeners in, and enough talent and heart in the music to keep them coming back. Give it a chance, all you electronic fans out there. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Fascinating
Overlooked Gem of a Blend
Junkmedia Review - Here comes the Flood

Giraffe
Echoboy
Manufacturer: Mute U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00006IQK9
Release Date: 2003-02-25

Tracks:

Automatic Eyes
Don't Destroy Me
Comfort Of The Hum
Summer Rhythm
High Speed In Love
Fun In You
Lately Lonely
Good On T.V.
Wasted Spaces
Nearly All The Time

Amazon.com

Head-swimming prog excursions are de riguer for maverick producer Echoboy, but on Giraffe, he chucks the epic precedents set by his early singles (see the 12-minute-long "Flashlegs") for a more traditional route, recruiting über-producer Flood for his most focused album yet. Warren's introspective lyrics occupy the spotlight on most of the songs; where formerly his vocals were more decorative than structural, here they service some surprising pop moments, especially on the Joy Division-like single "Automatic" and the sinister, synth-punk "Good on TV." Flood's influence is noticeable throughout as he ups the fuzz factor by several megahertz on the industrial crush of "Wasted Spaces," but he always guides rather than overwhelms. Giraffe is quite possibly Echoboy's best album yet, and its sordid mix of free-form psychedelics, eerie electro-house beats, distorted '70s-supergroup rock guitar, and dirty disco bear Echoboy's stamp in genre-mashing innovation. Long may he continue on his upward trajectory. --Leslie Gilotti

Album Description

Echoboy's third album for Mute, recorded with legendary producer Flood and features ten brilliant tracks. More vocal oriented than any of his previous work, it's undoubtedly the finest Echoboy record to date. 2002.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating.......2003-09-21

This album is intriguing and intelligent. It moves from order to chaos and back again, often in the same track. My favorite track is the slightly New Order-ish "Don't Destroy Me", which is a trancey, throbbing meditation on ... death (at least that's my interpretation). Other highlights are "Comfort of the Hum" and "Good on TV". The lyrics in the album are deep and meaningful without coming across as pretentious. The music is top-notch. I look forward to hearing more from Echoboy in the future.

Overlooked Gem of a Blend.......2003-06-03

I have a few releases by Echoboy that I've picked up in bargain bins & I've found them to be hit or miss. I was carousing the used bargain bin & decided (again) on an Echoboy release as the freebie (buy 3, bet 1 free). What a surprise.....I have to rewind time to put this on my 10 best for 2002 now. As reviewers have noted, this is his most accessible release & much for the better. Echoboy mixes up beats, guitar & vocals in a way that is reminiscent of many artists in the postpunk, post-disco early 80s, a personal fave of music eras for me. Others are doing the same thing & getting more recognition, perhaps they are more situated in either the punk or club scenes. "Giraffe" borrows evenly from both. Think CBGB's meets Studio 54. Perhaps "Giraffe" isn't getting the recognition it deserves because of the hit-or-miss quality of his earlier bedroom excursions, but time will hopefully turn that around.

Junkmedia Review - Here comes the Flood.......2003-03-03

Richard from Nottingham wants to be a pop god. "You listen to a Bob Dylan record, listen to a Television record, listen to a Kraftwerk record, listen to a Chemical Brothers record and then put it all together. All these are the best people of their day, so if you put it together, then you should have the perfect hybrid." Easy, Richard! Relax, be yourself. First of all, you are NOT any of these people; secondly, I believe Dr. Frankenstein tried to build the perfect beast from many different parts. . . and that didn't work out so well.

Richard Warren's, aka Echoboy's, third full-length album, Giraffe, is a collection of hits and misses that have one thing in common: they are all more easily accessible than his first two albums. Greater accessibility does not necessarily mean higher quality, however, and in the effort to be more 'public-friendly', Echoboy has enlisted famous producer Flood (U2, Smashing Pumpkins) to incorporate space age effects that sound a bit stale and re-hashed.

"Automatic Eyes" is the first single, combining roots-rock jangle with modern bass thump, yielding a sound in line with current Brit-Pop trends. But producer Flood's influence is a negative on later Giraffe tracks. "Wasted Spaces" shows Echoboy's tendency to fall short lyrically, and Flood's influence is heavy in the super distorted guitars that sound almost identical to something from U2's Pop.

Echoboy seems to find his unique pop-rock voice on "Fun In You", which turns mainstream lyrical delivery and curt phrasing into a brilliant pop song. Add the cold electroclash feel of "Don't Destroy Me", and the perfect psychedelic ending of "Nearly all the Time", and you're left with a feeling that Echoboy could have that special combination after all.

Richard from Nottingham is not a pop star; in fact, he has potential for something far greater: He may be able to find that special niche equally embraced by college radio, stodgy music critics and difficult audiophiles. That's the special combination, and for anyone who wants to be authentic and viable, it's a great place to be.