I've had a thirst for some straight up, good ol' rock and roll for some time now - Danny Echo, a Vancouver-based band, really hit the spot with their explosive brand of classic rock and pop. Their first, self-titled full-length release is pure dynamite.
Danny Echo writes and performs each song on this record as if it were going to be the radio-friendly single. The skeleton for each of these 10 songs is a structure of solid melody, but fleshing it out is plenty of guitar muscle and vocal grit. So Danny Echo comes rushing out of the gate as more of a melodic rock band to me, with some sprinkling of powerpop here and there.
Danny Echo counts the Rolling Stones, The Who, Beatles, Radiohead, and U2 as influences; this is a diverse list of some of the kings of classic and modern rock. You'll hear a touch of them all among the tracks on this fine debut, but to my ears Danny Echo has injected something novel into the mix that really makes this record shine.
Vocally, Danny Echo resembles Noel Gallagher of Oasis somewhat, but nowhere near as nasally and mundane. His vocal tone is more colorful and his delivery has a greater emotional impact. Musically, this is downright catchy, punchy, no nonsense rock. The CD plays great in its entirety because there ain't a dud in the bunch, but highlights for me where largely stacked up front, with "Out of Style", "Killing Me", and "Tomorrow Today". I also really enjoyed the soaring and inspirational mid-tempo treat, "Barely Getting By".
If there is any hope for someone to stand up and save rock and roll in its truest and purist form, Danny Echo is a strong contender to lead that campaign. If there is any justice in the musical world, 2009 will be the year that the music of Danny Echo bounces back for everyone to hear and enjoy.
iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8
Danny Echo on MySpace. Official site.
No comments:
Post a Comment