Published on Jul 29, 2005
Host Echo hails from New York and has a distinctly electronic
sound. I can already prognosticate what’s going on in your goofy
minds right now; but please, give me a chance to prove you wrong.
Yes, Host Echo does come from New York and sounds
electronic… but, it does not sound New Wave. Did I
disappoint you? Let me disappoint you further by saying that it
does not sound British at all, and sadly the lead singer has
perfectly American vocals, and has a perfectly American accent to
his singing.
Though predominantly electronic, Host Echo is not a part of the
latest British invasion, which (thankfully) is plaguing the
American alternative music scene. The act’s debut
Be Water is sort of a cross between ska, rock and
smooth-jazz (or at least the music played on “smooth-jazz” radio
stations). The music at times has a retro feel (I am referring to
the sixties, not the eighties, you dimwit), and is also oftentimes
trippy (with lots of nicely packed “record scratching”).
So how does one classify
Be Water? If you ask me this question, my answer would be –
as best described on a famous song by Public Image Ltd. — “Don’t
ask me, ’cause I don’t know.”
Be Water is a delightful mishmash of all the above music
styles. If it has to be compared, Host Echo comes quite close to
Pulp, or maybe even a little bit to Portishead.
The bass n’ drum section of the music on
Be Water has a marked “ska” influence, or rather ska in
really really slow motion. Most numbers on the record are much like
older Dave Matthews: long songs, with weird twists to the music.
The songs are laid-back, and this is where the “smooth jazz”
analogy kicks in. The electronics, the keyboards and singer Nick
Spacone’s crooning and cooing throughout the album primarily create
a soothing aura to the music, much like the music on “smooth jazz”
radio stations. But at the end of the day, the music is pure-bred
rock; it just has a “smooth jazz” swing to it.
“Hypnogogic,” with its sunny Californian mood; “While Rising,”
with its catchy piano-hook, “Eyes” and “Mind Is A Forest,” for
their sheer “chill” factor, are the album’s standouts.
The latest British invasion has indeed resulted in a number of
talented young acts coming out of the American alternative music
scene, which is encouraging to rock music itself, after the
thunderous fall of grunge in the late nineties. What is even more
encouraging is the emergence of acts like Host Echo, who only add
diversity to the nice mix of the new breed of Brit-influenced
intelligent rock bands of today.
[For more information on Host Echo, visit their
website at
www.hostechomusic.com]