Echo Us / Echo Us

There's a danger in this record: it just swallows you. While the "Greyhaven" album saw Ethan Matthews wallowing in the progressive rock contractions to a good effect, here it's all effects wrapped around his voice. Electronica and synthesizers rule the game in his new endeavour, and the titular "Us" takes a listener to join a misty ride from the opening wave of "My Sirens" to the equally anxious finale, "In The Autumn". The music bristles, then zips back to serenity, Matthews voice floats around, ethereal and down-to-earth at the same time. Unexpectancy may come awkward, with dancefloor salvo frightening away the majestic organ slide of "Her Heart's Army" only to usher in the magical guitar solo, but fantastic "Dreaming" has so much going to it to reveal a new stratus on each spin. All of this, though, steps out before pure '80s electro-pop of "Who Loves You" with its ska underline and classicism oozing out of the "Black Thursday" Jarre-ish buzz, as they're light. And seeing the light at the end of an echo-ey tunnel makes one savor the journey.