The Rapture - Echoes - LP (2003)

Labels: Major
Review by: Luke Younger

It’s kind of funny how big this band has become. When me and my friends all used to think of them as “that band on Gravity which sound like the Cure”, we couldn’t really give a dogs cock about them because that was when we thought Antioch Arrow were like the best band ever or something. Now they are big, we all seem to have big boners for their new LP. Whatever. “Echoes” is a weird record to pin down. It’s the first Rapture record to showcase their electro moments, but they are quite scattered to it makes it sound a tad inconsistent. Songs like “Olio”, “House of Jealous Lovers” and “I Need Your Love” are good songs, but when put next to the likes of “Heaven”, “Echoes” and “The Coming of Spring” which hark back to their rawer dance punk sound, you can’t help but wander if they’re stuck between wanting to be an electro band or a raw guitar band. Oh who cares, basically if you ignore the power ballads, Echoes is an OK record.