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Luke Jenner's vocals may drive you insane, but he is to be ignored anyway. Echoes is all about perp-walking bass, funky white-boy cowbell, and enough brain-goring good guitar riffs to make Keith Richards collapse in amazement.
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BlenderWith so many hip people in the studio, it's no wonder Echoes sounds like such a party. [Nov 2003, p.119]
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What makes Echoes more than the sum of its inspirations... is that the band audibly, valiantly struggle to create something bigger than they are.
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Echoes ultimately showcases a more sophisticated, restrained, and successful take on the fusion of guitar riffs and electronic beats.
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For every badass mind-fuck like “Out Of The Races And Onto The Tracks”, there are twice as many unlistenable duds in the band’s arsenal.
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UrbWhile a handful of tracks may... seem familiar to fans of PiL, Dinosaur L, ESG and Primal Scream, Echoes manages much more than aping influences. [Oct 2003, p.83]
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UncutA record which transcends any scene's fleeting credibility. [Oct 2003, p.122]
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Entertainment WeeklySounds fresher and more diverse than previous releases or live shows would've suggested. [Listen 2 This supplement, Oct 2003, p.14]
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OutburnWhen you strip away all of the hype and everything you've heard about The Rapture, one thing still remains: Echoes is outstanding. [#23, p.98]
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These flashes of greatness don't quite add up to what could have been, but the album as a whole is still quite exceptional.
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This is mannerist DOR more accomplished and less sentimental than its sources.
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Almost by accident, it seems, The Rapture have pulled it off: the album of the year.
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Under The RadarAn astonishingly boring band. [#5, p.103]
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Fus[es] mean guitars and disco trance for a ferocious new breed of punk funk.
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Stylus MagazinePeople are claiming The Rapture are geniuses, saviours and innovators but the simple truth is that they aren’t. [Review 1, score=70] One hates to frown on a band’s ambition, but you may find yourself hoping that next time out the band plays to their strengths the whole way through. [Review 2, score=75]
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PlanetFilled with thoughtful electronic counterpoint and personable songs. [#5, p.104]
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This perceived, grand-scheme "Importance" of Echoes is irrelevant: what matters is that it wants you to get off your ass and work it, and that you will be thrilled to oblige.
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The Rapture may not quite be wholly heavenly, but they've made an album that's entirely admirable and often lovable.
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Sure, the group can rock out at moments, but the majority of the 11 tracks on this release just feel warmed-over. They feel like they've been reworked countless times to make them better (and they have), but instead of actually making the tracks better, the life and vitality was sucked out of them.
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You say you don't give a shit about lyrics? That's good; most of Echoes' lyrics aren't worth giving a shit about.
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Q MagazineNot quite a masterpiece, Echoes still shows why New York rock currently feels a million times more exciting than Britain's woefully safe equivalent. [Oct 2003, p.114]
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MojoIf The Rapture haven't quite transcended their influences yet, they are at least making a thrilling, febrile noise on the way. [Sep 2003, p.106]
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SpinUnfortunately, many of the underdeveloped rockers and plaintive ballads here are dance-floor-clearing duds. [Nov 2003, p.111]
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The Rapture's much-anticipated Echoes doesn't represent a significant landmark along the way, but its pastiche-like approach to early-'80s Anglophilia is promising.
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Echoes works only when it grasps punk-funk's spirit, rather than its sound.
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Bottom line: Some great beats propping up a not-so-tight band, making it sound much cooler than it actually is.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 28 out of 35
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Mixed: 6 out of 35
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Negative: 1 out of 35
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Jun 12, 2012
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Mar 15, 2011
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MihaiVAug 17, 2006This album is a classic. I love it. I hope they won't dissapoint with their next.