Echovalve’s debut album will make listeners happier than a dingo in a nursery, though it’ll probably make for less entertaining headlines.

Despite the fact that I’m an album reviewer, I don’t claim to be a music connoisseur. When I say that I think the 90s was one of the best decades for music thanks to grunge, I’ll admit that it’s a claim without much weight behind it. Still, I really think it’s the truth - a lot of the modern music we listen to today was inspired by grunge, and it’s good stuff on the whole.

That’s why I’m happier than a dingo in a nursery when I discover a band that hearkens back to the days of grunge. Atlanta’s Echovalve, for instance, manages to capture the gritty sound of that era like few modern bands can while still infusing their music with a unique sound. Not only that, but they manage to do so while maintaining a quality album on the whole, instead of falling into the all-too-common trend of releasing two decent tracks and nine bits of garbage.

Generally speaking, Echovalve’s music brings to mind a more heavy version of Live, Screaming Trees, . There’s a much more “direct” sound here, with pounding riffs and catchy hooks as the centerpiece rather than ambient sound and meaningful lyrics. However, the grunge influence is obvious and does a lot for the album. The opening track, “Si Quieres”, is a prime example of this, combining 90s garage rock with a modern bass line and vocals.

The highlight and first single from helloagaingoodbye is “Dirty Little Secret”. The heavy, pounding percussion and driving guitar work in this track make it memorable. The rest of the album continues in this vein. “You Don’t Want Me Anymore”, for instance, features prechorus vocals that could’ve been ripped straight from a 40 Below Summer album, while the title track focuses more on melodic guitar.

“Anyone”, on the other hand, is a slower and more deliberate track, showing that Echovalve can manage something other than heavy garage rock. This is the biggest deviation from the formula that helloagaingoodbye establishes to be found here, though. Some rock fans look for decent rock and nothing else, while others would prefer a bit more variety in an album, so whether this is a good or bad thing really depends on the listener.

helloagaingoodbye isn’t quite perfect, of course. The audio quality is an issue, which is unusual in most modern albums. It’s hard to tell whether this was purposeful or a stylistic choice, but either way it’s a little disconcerting. As mentioned, the album’s a bit short on variety as well.

All in all, though, this is a solid album that no rock fan should miss. If helloagaingoodbye is any indication, Echovalve’s definitely a band to look out for.

~ Cory

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