[Review] Echobelly: On (1995)
I haven’t felt this happy and sad listening to an album since The Queen Is Dead.
Kronomyth 2.0: If music be the food of love, play On.
To call Echobelly an amalgam of The Smiths and The Cranberries would place them in the indistinguishable middle of a crowded pack, but the quality of On clearly distances them from that pack. Honestly, The Smiths had trouble making albums this good (as did Morrissey) and I’ve never heard anything from The Cranberries as catchy as King of the Kerb, Great Things or Nobody Like You. There are those who would have you believe that Britpop is rife with minor glories like these, but I’ve gone looking for too many secondhand Smiths (Cardigans, Oasis, etc.) to fall for that. Echobelly rocks hard, always has a pleasant melody up their sleeve, can drift into the deep end and swim back again, all the while contending with the enormous charisma of singer Sonya Madan. That the band wins the battle speaks to their talent; consider how many bands fronted by women have fallen by the wayside to solo careers. Madan’s lyrics are strong yet sympathetic, rarely coy but rather confident and honest. Given that Madan could have played the “coy” card to fine effect, kudos for keeping that one in the deck. It helps On gain broader appeal, reaching out to rockers as well as shoe-gazing pop types. Listening to Dark Therapy for example, it’s easy to imagine that Radiohead could channel some of the same distortion or that No Doubt could take a playful turn like Go Away. Although occasionally guilty of resting too long at Morrissey’s altar (Worms and Angels, Something Hot in a Cold Country), Echobelly is hardly a tribute band. Rather, they’ve taken the best part of that band (the melodies and mixed euphoria) and given it a sharper edge. Anglophiles would do well to own On, as it handily ranks with the best that the Britpop movement produced. No, it doesn’t have a darn thing to do with prog, but not everything has to.
Original elpee version
A1. Car Fiction
A2. King of the Kerb
A3. Great Things
A4. Natural Animal
A5. Go Away
A6. Pantyhose and Roses
B1. Something Hot in a Cold Country
B2. Four Letter Word
B3. Nobody Like You
B4. In the Year
B5. Dark Therapy
B6. Worms and Angels
Songs written by Sonya Aurora Madan and Glenn Johansson.
Bonus 7-inch single
A1. Here Comes the Scene
A2. On Turn On
B1. God’s Guest List
The Players
Andy Henderson (drums), Glenn Johansson (guitars), Alex Keyser (bass), Sonya Aurora Madan (voice), Debbie Smith (guitar) with B.J. Cole (pedal and lap steel guitars). Produced and engineered Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie.
The Pictures
Front cover photography by Kevin Westenberg. Additional photography by Kevin Westenberg, Ray Burmiston, Ed Sirrs, Chaz & Robin. Design by Stylorouge.
The Plastic
Released on elpee (with bonus 7-inch single), compact disc and cassette on September 18, 1995 in the UK (Fauve/Rhythm King, FAUV 6LX/6CD/6C), the US (550 Music/Epic, BK 67368) and Poland (Epic, 481137-4) with insert. Reached #4 on the UK charts.
