Search - Forty Foot Echo :: Forty Foot Echo

Jessica T. (jessicatok) from LINCOLN, NE
Reviewed on 4/21/2007...

Decent album: Drift and Save Me are the standout tracks. The rest of the album is coherent and ably mixed. This band probably should have been paid more attention to; they make solid, catchy rock in the vein of Saliva, Nickelback, and Revis. You'll remember hearing both of the singsles on the hard-rock/alternative stations on radio, and thinking, "What band is this?" Now you know.

Echo's of Nickelback, Default, and Theory of a Deadman

chrisgmiddle | Lethbridge, Alberta | 09/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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. 9/102.MULTIPLY- Keeps the straight forward no nonsense rock going. Good Song. 8/103.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. 10/104.Weakness- This song, perhaps more than any other offering on the disc leans in the direction of Nickelback. 7/105.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. 8.5/106.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. 10/107.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. 5.5/108.Hollow- Good tune. Catchy and leans towards Nickelback and co. a bit further. 8/109.BORN YESTERDAY- Cool Cool Cool. The guitar work and vocals are awesome. I especially love guitar at the beginning. 9.0/1010.SONGBIRD- A little poppy perhaps but definitely still solid rock. One of the catchiest on the disc. Has some real cool riffs too. 10/1011.TOMMOROW- Arena rock through and through. Pretty fun song after a fedw listens actually. 7.5/1012.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. 6.5/10While 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."

GREAT Generic Crap

Weak and Weary | If I told you, you'd send hate mail. | 06/13/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."