of archers - echoes

Of Archers

Echoes
self-released; 2014

4.2 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Matt Jensen

I had the pleasure of spending the last couple of weeks with the debut album from Of Archers entitled Echoes (which also happens to be the album title for The Raptures released back in 2003) and was more than impressed by the production. In particular I thought the vocals on the album were treated with care and precision. They were warm with the perfect amount of reverb and were so easy on the ears.

Not only was the production top-notch but also the band can write a tune. They are kind of a mesh between Radiohead, The Killers and The Local Natives. Some of the songs are instantly catchy and trust me there is no hyperbole in this statement.

They kick things off with “More Than This” (ahem – this happens the be the name of Roxy Music's most popular tune), which is an all-around great song. The band immediately establishes some of the staples that make their sound great including vocal harmonies,an anthemic chorus and distorted guitars. The vocalist Luke Quarto delivers one of many inspired vocal performances and even goes into a falsetto that channels Thom Yorke for a second.

The second song “Echoes” is even better than the first. They combine soft bells, with inventive guitars and bass parts. The drumming provides the momentum but the vocal work, the lead and harmonies carry the song. “Settle Down” is one of those songs that I was talking about that was instantly catchy. The song isn't overly poppy but is memorable upon first listen. The music on “Robot Dreams” sounds a bit like what you might expect a robot dream to sound like. I especially enjoyed the contrast between the bongo-like percussion, growling bass and guitar.

I’m not the easiest to impress when it come to indie rock bands but Of Archers are on top of their game. They have a very solid batch of songs on this album that can compete with anything out there.

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