Not to put too fine a point on it, Echo Is Your Love are absolutely fantastic. They've recorded five albums (all of which I've listened to) and a bunch of singles and split records (none of which I've listened to because they're only available on vinyl and I don't own a record player). I first came across them while watching a 5-minute documentary about their record label (which is run by two members of the band):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdfeltLnCSk&feature=feedlik
The song "Step in step inside" (available at www.ifsociety.com/echo/human.html and www.myspace.com/echoisyourlove) was used in the background and I liked what I heard so got hold of their stuff.
"Step in step inside" is on Humansize, the band's second most recent album from 2006. At the risk of giving you the impression I'm a little fanatical, this album is, to my ears, almost perfect. In fact, there are only two things in the whole albums I would change, and these are so minute and insignificant that if you blink (for five seconds) you miss 'em. Although I'd recommend having a listen to "Step in step inside" to sample Echo Is Your Love's greatness, the rest of the album doesn't sound much like this. There are a heap of different styles in there and each is pulled off with style. The other song off the album on the band's website and Myspace site is "Peace song", which is also really, really good. I can't recommend this album enough!!!
Next I listened to Heart Fake, their album from last year. In my opinion, it's not quite as good as Humansize, but it's still most commendable.The two songs off the album on the aforementioned sites aren't the ones I would personally use to promote the album, but that doesn't mean they're bad songs – far from it! The best songs for me on this album are the understated "Someone Took Advantage Of Her" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEm5Izau7JU), "Song Against Hate And Rockets" and "Silver Sufferer" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCi15WCnVF4).
Paper Cut Eye is the band's third album. On their Finnish-language Wikipedia webpage, it says that "[t]he band are often compared to Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead." When I read this for the first time, I didn't see the connection between Sonic Youth and the Humansize or Heart Fake. Paper Cut Eye is where the Sonic Youthiness begins to show, and it only gets more visible from here on in. "Pleasures Unknown" (on Myspace) and "Children in Lines" (on the band's website) are two of the best songs on a very decent album. Why I like Humansize and Heart Fake more than Paper Cut Eye and the two earlier albums I haven't mentioned yet is because of the noise:melody ratio – I like melodic songs with a bit of noise (i.e. Echo Is Your Love's most recent albums) as opposed to noisy songs with a bit of melody (i.e. the band's earlier stuff).
Then it was 8 Hours, the band's first album. I really disliked this the first time I heard it, but it's grown on me since then. "a song for Sea Scouts" (on the band's website) is one of my favourite songs on the record, while "Wake Up" (on Myspace) will give you fair idea of the album's overall style.
Last up is Sheets of Blank Fucking Paper. Very noisy, with a lot of Sonic Youth and Joy Division in there. Not really my thing, but judge for yourself – "Black and Red Lies on Yellow" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER32A4zq6Ps).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdfeltLnCSk&feature=feedlik
The song "Step in step inside" (available at www.ifsociety.com/echo/human.html and www.myspace.com/echoisyourlove) was used in the background and I liked what I heard so got hold of their stuff.
"Step in step inside" is on Humansize, the band's second most recent album from 2006. At the risk of giving you the impression I'm a little fanatical, this album is, to my ears, almost perfect. In fact, there are only two things in the whole albums I would change, and these are so minute and insignificant that if you blink (for five seconds) you miss 'em. Although I'd recommend having a listen to "Step in step inside" to sample Echo Is Your Love's greatness, the rest of the album doesn't sound much like this. There are a heap of different styles in there and each is pulled off with style. The other song off the album on the band's website and Myspace site is "Peace song", which is also really, really good. I can't recommend this album enough!!!
Next I listened to Heart Fake, their album from last year. In my opinion, it's not quite as good as Humansize, but it's still most commendable.The two songs off the album on the aforementioned sites aren't the ones I would personally use to promote the album, but that doesn't mean they're bad songs – far from it! The best songs for me on this album are the understated "Someone Took Advantage Of Her" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEm5Izau7JU), "Song Against Hate And Rockets" and "Silver Sufferer" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCi15WCnVF4).
Paper Cut Eye is the band's third album. On their Finnish-language Wikipedia webpage, it says that "[t]he band are often compared to Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead." When I read this for the first time, I didn't see the connection between Sonic Youth and the Humansize or Heart Fake. Paper Cut Eye is where the Sonic Youthiness begins to show, and it only gets more visible from here on in. "Pleasures Unknown" (on Myspace) and "Children in Lines" (on the band's website) are two of the best songs on a very decent album. Why I like Humansize and Heart Fake more than Paper Cut Eye and the two earlier albums I haven't mentioned yet is because of the noise:melody ratio – I like melodic songs with a bit of noise (i.e. Echo Is Your Love's most recent albums) as opposed to noisy songs with a bit of melody (i.e. the band's earlier stuff).
Then it was 8 Hours, the band's first album. I really disliked this the first time I heard it, but it's grown on me since then. "a song for Sea Scouts" (on the band's website) is one of my favourite songs on the record, while "Wake Up" (on Myspace) will give you fair idea of the album's overall style.
Last up is Sheets of Blank Fucking Paper. Very noisy, with a lot of Sonic Youth and Joy Division in there. Not really my thing, but judge for yourself – "Black and Red Lies on Yellow" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER32A4zq6Ps).