Echo Revolution, Counterfeit Sunshine

By Less Lee Moore

Counterfeit Sunshine, the new album from San Diego’s Echo Revolution, is anything but what its title implies. These tunes are sincere in their joyfulness; even the sad songs contain some optimism amidst the despair.

“Open Your Eyes” and the title track both have that soaring quality so infrequently found in modern pop, but one that is sorely needed. The striking harmonies are a perfect counterpoint to singer Lee Harding’s warm, throaty vibrato.

Producer extraordinaire Steve Churchyard and engineer Alan Sanderson have wisely placed Harding’s voice prominently in the mix, giving the songs on the album an intimate feeling; they are crisp without being slick or soulless.

“High Road” is possibly the most traditional rock song of the bunch, with a great rhythm section and funky piano providing a solid base to the guitar solo.

The hard edit between “Drag Me Away” and “Addiction” fuses them into two parts of the same song. The first features tambourines and some impressive pedal steel-like vocal harmonies with the rolling rhythms of the song evoking waves on a beach. “Addiction” is a Beatle-esque mini-epic, with its slow build of melancholy strummed guitar and accordion blossoming into something approaching hope.

At times Echo Revolution feels like Sam Roberts or The Church, but this is a band with its own distinctive sound. By the time we hit the terrific groove of “What Say You?” alternating between funky piano, heavy bass, and effects-heavy guitar, this becomes apparent.

While “Good To Be Home” recalls the sunny sounds of the first half of the album, it introduces sparkling keyboards, harmonica, and hand claps and lets Alex Zander’s piano take center stage. It continues the lyrical flow found throughout on the album: looking versus seeing, the difference between what is real and what one perceives. “I know you see these things the same as me.”

Counterfeit Sunshine truly hits its stride with the last three tunes. “When I’m Around You” has the mournful melancholy of a Peter Holsapple song, with Harding’s voice straining into a higher register over heavy acoustic guitars. The effect is mesmerizing. All of Echo Revolution’s qualities shine through here: genuine musicianship, a love of harmonies, sounds filling the empty spaces without being transformed into a wall of overproduction. This is the first tune to fade out and it’s the perfect ending for it.

We are then thrust into the heavy riffage of “Soul Work” which has a more edgy rock feeling than the rest of the album, and more unique vocals from Harding. At one point, most of the sound drops out and he repeats, “Can we see past our own reflection to the bigger dream?” Then the song just stops.

The closer, “Mount Washington,” is stunning, with Harding’s whispery vocals over gorgeous swaths of acoustic guitar and echoing harmonies.

With four albums behind them, it seems that Counterfeit Sunshine may be the one to put Echo Revolution into a well-deserved spotlight.

Counterfeit Sunshine is out now. Check out the band’s website for links on how to order. You can listen to selected tracks on the band’s MySpace page.