People Are Expensive

by

Echobelly

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I still remember picking up a copy of E.G.O. shortly after it was released some six or seven years ago and being blown away by the shear power of the sounds I heard eminating from my headphones! With every subsequent release, ECHOBELLY's sound has grown stronger, more mature, and more ambitious... All of this bands work(E.G.O., On, and Lustra) is, for lack of a better word, beautiful(in a hauntingly confrontational yet inviting sorta' way).

Now, being a devout follower of this band, when I heard that PEOPLE ARE EXPENSIVE was coming out, I was thrilled to say the least. There was no way that I could have been prepared for what awaited my ears on this disk. No words could do justice to the brilliance that Sonya and Co have offered up with this outing. Sonya's voice sounds more beautiful than it ever has before, yet there is a bittersweet quality to it now. The music on this disk is also unbelievable(very dreamlike and warm yet also very in your face) !!! Do yourselves a favor, ignore the fact that you will have to pay a little bit extra for this disk and buy it now... I promise you will not be sorry!

This truly is one of the best albums I have ever heard and it saddens me to think that because of a certain greedy record company who never really tried to market this band to the right audience, most of the people in the US will never even hear of it! SHAME ON YOU SONY!!!

Yes, this is Echobelly's "mellow" album, but at times this just means that the guitars are quiet and pensive until they kick into overdrive on the chorus. The opening "Fear of Flying" is an example of this, and of the band's continued improvement in its arrangements. The verse mixes a guitar reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "Any Colour You Like" with another than has two conflicting tremolos going on simultaneously. "Digit" gradually builds from an acoustic strum into techno outrage at the soullessness of modern life. "Dying" is a quiet mood piece of stunning beauty, turning an unrequited lover into a hospice patient. Ballads "Down to Earth", "Ondine", and the Beach Boys tribute "Point Dume" add to the overall mellow feel. By now, the band is down to a trio of singer Sonya Aurora Madan, guitarist Glenn Johansson, and drummer Andy Henderson. The songwriting is not as consistent as on previous albums (a tough standard to meet), and several songs are stretched out for an extra minute. This is an enjoyable album, but is a step down from "On" and "Lustra".