Customer Reviews

Forty Foot Echo

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Vancouver has been a potent producer of rock bands these. Starting with Nickelback and continuing with their like minded progenitors Default and Theory of a Deadman Vancouver has had it's collective finger on its pulse of the modern rock scene in a way reminiscent of Seattle in the early nineties--albeit on a slightly smaller scale. Although unconnected to any of the aforementioned bands, Forty Foot Echo has a similar background and similarly crunching guitars. The main difference lies with the more soulful approach taken by lead singer, songwriter Murray Yates; former front man for Templar. That combined with his voice separates his new band from the crowd.

Here is a quick rundown on the offerings of Forty Foot Echo?s self-titled debut:

1.DRIFT- One of the harder-edged songs on the disc. Reminds me a little of Saliva at times. Very catchy. 9/10

2.MULTIPLY- Keeps the straight forward no nonsense rock going. Good Song. 8/10

3.SAVE ME- As the leadoff single from the band, this song gives them immediate credibility as perhaps its most bankable, radio-friendly tune. Despite the roaring guitars, this song takes the album on decidedly softer turn. 10/10

4.Weakness- This song, perhaps more than any other offering on the disc leans in the direction of Nickelback. 7/10

5.long Way Down- Another very good tune. It takes a few listens and the chorus could use some work but on the whole it works. 8.5/10

6.Brand New Low- Yates said this song came to him during depressing breakup of his old band. It is very emotionally alive as it speaks of a "brand new day" which appears to have arrived with this new band of his. On the technical side, this song is layered and textured with strings and the like. Best song on the disc. 10/10

7.What If I Don't- This song doesn't click with me. Can you say filler? It has grown on me but it is still my least favorite. 5.5/10

8.Hollow- Good tune. Catchy and leans towards Nickelback and co. a bit further. 8/10

9.BORN YESTERDAY- Cool Cool Cool. The guitar work and vocals are awesome. I especially love guitar at the beginning. 9.0/10

10.SONGBIRD- A little poppy perhaps but definitely still solid rock. One of the catchiest on the disc. Has some real cool riffs too. 10/10

11.TOMMOROW- Arena rock through and through. Pretty fun song after a fedw listens actually. 7.5/10

12.BESIDE ME- You keep waiting for this part acoustic song to be that ideal lighter uplifting album closer. Does it deliver? Well its softer but even after multiple listens the very little semblance of a tune can be found. That combined with the odd Our Lady Peace-like falsetto Yates tries with mixed results makes this a very strange song. 6.5/10

While this is perhaps a bit of a mixed bag, how many albums aren't? On the whole, it is an excellent debut album from a very good new band. Nice work boys.

*note: The more I've listened to this CD, the more impressed I've become with it. I would rate it about ****1/2 stars out of five now and I've also revised some of my individual song reviews for the better. This is an awesome debut and it really grows on you. These guys could become huge. Seriously. They are actually a lot more versatile than many of the previously mentioned bands.

Although there hasn't been much in the way of info from the band, FFE is indeed still alive and rocking. In mid 2004, the band stepped into armoury studios in BC and begun work on their follow up entitled "below the surface". Tracklisting:

1. Submersed
2. Enough to breathe
3. Below the surface
4. Get what you deserve
5. Hideaway
6. Re Surface
7. Between you and I
8. For all of this
9. Swept away
10. We can live forever here

Be on the lookout for a FEB-MAR 06' release. (track listing subject to change)

I'm a huge sucker for anything that's got some smooth vocals and huge guitars with creative and well thought-out solos. Hence my liking for bands like FUEL(heck yeah!!!), GOO GOO DOLLS, and TOOL, along with billions of others. Though the two former have no where near the scope and real majesty of the latter, they all write truly amazing songs. And I suppose now it`s time to add FORTY FOOT ECHO to the list.

Now people, please don't be scared by their incredibly retarded name. Past that and the weird photos in the booklet, there's not much else to seriously complain about. I haven't often heard a cd where the music and the vocals compliment and re-enforce each other in the way that this one does.

If you want an example of this band's sound, they`re sorta like a more `pop-ified' version of STAIND crossed with the GOOs, except without as much original thoughts of their own. So while these musicians don`t pull off anything overly, amazingly original, FORTY FOOT ECHO still manages to perform their music with conviction and energy, working perfectly with Murry Yate's great vocals and making it easy to forgive the rather generic musicality.

Speaking of the vocals... ugh, I`m so torn with`em. I readily admit that his singing won't change the world. In fact, when I first got this disc, I sort of disliked his voice on most of the tracks. But that is mostly do to some of the poopie lyrics that he sings, rather than the quality of his voice. Thankfully, this has grown on me immensely, and though the singing melodies aren't the newest thing either, I've found that I don`t care. I can't get enough of it. Yates reaches his peak on almost every chorus on the disc. Each one sounds different and has a fantastic flow and rhythm and it just soars. Dude.

These lyrics... at times they can be brilliant, but not enough times to make a difference. To be completely honest, they sound like the stupid kinda thing that I would write. Being the angst-ridden teen that I am, I try to write something that I feel is SO deep and beautiful... but then I read it and I realize it's just cheezy and unemotional ramblings. Thinking about it now, I suppose most will either love or not care about the lyrics anyway, so I'll just leave it at that.

But it's on songs like `Brand New Day', a huge highlight track and easily the most radio-prepped song on the record, as well as the beautiful closer `Beside Me', that everything suddenly becomes near-perfection. It all comes together, from the lyrics to vocals to music, and creates something incredible. It's while I'm listening to those songs that I think, "Hey, this album it awesome." An those thoughts stay with me throughout the entire album. `Tomorrow' is easily the most fun and rockin' song on this disc, for those who simply love to ROCK OUT. `Long Way Down' is mention-worthy just because it's so brilliantly sung and played, even if it's got some of those lyrics that `I could've written.' But really, each song is worth listening to for their own unique reasons.

Alright, I guess there IS a few things that I could complain about, mainly the fact that this band is a big fat ole' piece of generic plastic. I can't really say WHY I enjoy this band and all of it's unbridled unoriginality, because I don't rightly know. I just know that these guys capture my interest and my feelings when I listen to them. At least a little bit. And that's enough to make it among MY favorite generic crap YOU'LL ever have the honor of purchasing. Even if it's not quite a 4 star record.

This CD truly exceeded my expectations and the good news is, there is indeed more to come. "Below the surface" will be hitting stores in august and they are currently shooting the video for their new single "closer". Go to their myspace to listen to 4 new tracks off the album. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=88331074

so to the few commenters who mentioned Tool, im very happy for them that they can be so original that they thouroughly suck...but forty foot echo is actually good and has a very nice and addictive sound, far superior to tool, nickelback, and almost on the same level as fuel...if you dont like good music, than please dont buy this cd

I need new speakers - this CD is so incredible, I blew out my car speakers with it. Definitely the best new CD I have heard in a long time, and one of the best CD's I have ever heard. There aren't many new CD's that I listen to, and like, every song on (Splender, Silvercrush, Pay The Girl), but this one is incredible. It's hard for me to listen to anything else recently, and I'm now comparing everything else to this CD. My preferences in music include Live, U2, Fuel, Dishwalla, Our Lady Peace, Train, and many more, but this is unbelieveable. From the bass line to the vocals, their creativity and originality are truly impressive. It is always a treat to listen to a CD and find incredible music in the last few tracks, and this is one of those CD's - when you think they can't do any better, they do. Someone needs to get these guys some exposure and some air-time - soon. If you are looking for really, really good new R & R, this is it! I hope we hear more from them.

For anyone giving this bad reviews...go pick on a band that actually sucks (Stage, Moments In Grace, etc..) For anyone with an open mind, this is some great rock-pop. The first song drift maintains a pop-like mentality ultimately leading to a hard rock bridge at the end..it's pretty sweet. Other GREAT songs on this album include Songbird and Long Way Down. I've read many reviews for other bands claiming it was a perfect mixture of rock and pop...well I say these guys are. Great voice and great hooks. These talented musicians deserve more recognition and hopefully they'll be putting a second disc out soon. Listen to the samples and click the buy button. (It's the little add to cart button...yeah its on the top right..click it..you know you want to...you are now hypnotized..buy buy buy..)

Let me start off by saying that these guys sound a lot like Nickleback, but they are sooo good! This is a cd worth buying. Definently in the category of modern rock it bears little to no resemblence to say Metallica.

1. Drift 10/10. Great song. Great guitar riffs!

2. Multiply 8/10. The vocals, drums and guitar play really nicely in this song. A really good song.

3. Save Me 10/10. This is a slightly slower song in comparison to some of the other's on the cd. It's fabulous though! But is it me, or does it sound a bit like Creed?

4. Weakness. 10/10 This song kicks a$$! Another great song.

5. Long Way Down 9/10. Excellent song. The vocals are fabulous on it!

6. Brand New Day 10/10. Perfect song! This is like the best song on the whole album.

7. What If I Don't 10/10. My fav track off the album. It's got an aggressive feel that's not off putting but rather invigorating.

8. Hollow 9/10. Great production on this song. The vocal editing, etc. is very nicely done.

9. Born Yesterday 7/10. My least favorite track on the album. It grates after awhile.

10. Songbird 9/10. Fantastic song. Great modern rock!

11. Tomrrow 10/10. The guy that wrote arena rock in his review was dead on. This song is loud and so damn good!

12. Beside Me 10/10. Sort of an odd-ball rock song. But still great!

Forty Foot Echo is a must have! Great lyrics along with a great voice... awesome music to go along with it. Buy this cd!!

At first listen, I fell in love with this CD. The opening of "Drift" crescendo'd EXACTLY and broke into a fabulous rock riff combined with great vocals! It sounded familiar and comforting. Mmm, crunching guitars, reverb-ed and echoing vocals... BUT then I suddenly became afraid that this CD might go the way of all my other so-called "Rock" CDs. Like Fuel, Saliva, Revis, Nickelback, and Theory of a Deadman, it has a huge potential to fade into that layer of gooey "sameness" that modern-rock bands seem to get stuck in. It's the same feeling you get when you're given a choice between say, Incubus or Hoobastank, or Korn and Adema. They're the same band, right? You know you'll be bored with the CD in a week.

The tracks on this CD are a little schizophrenic. "Drift" and "Save Me" are your general radio-friendly rock blockbusters, and then all of a sudden, you are surprised by the gentle "Long Way Down", "Brand New Day", and "Beside Me". But if you like making mix tapes where Our Lady Peace comes right after some Fuel, and you suddenly stick some "Dysfunction-era Staind" in, then you've got the right CD in your hands.

My only major complaint with this CD is that it sounds labored and very "produced", with overly slick guitars and too much "Pro Tools" and engineering on the vocals. But what other band isn't doing that? Maybe they can record a couple tracks in their basement next time. So do you go with your modern rock instinct and pony up the cash? It's up to you! I'll keep it 'till it turns into sonic goo.