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While Echodrone\u2019s music fits into the mold commonly called shoegaze, there\u2019s more going on in the arrangements. There\u2019s a sense of the dramatic amid the shimmering, reverb-soaked guitars and icy yet expressive vocals. There\u2019s a soaring, majestic, wide-screen feel to the eight songs on Resurgence<\/i>, the group\u2019s eighth full-length release.<\/p>\n
\u201cEugene [Suh, guitar] and I are both drawn to dense music,\u201d says bassist Brandon Dudley. The two musicians co-founded Echodrone in San Francisco in 2005, with what Suh describes as modest goals. \u201cWe just wanted to play a show,\u201d he admits. \u201cThat was it! This is the first real band I\u2019ve played in, so the idea of being onstage \u2014 playing songs I had written \u2014 seemed really appealing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The band quickly grew into more than an excuse to take the stage. Echodrone released its self-titled debut EP in 2007, a four-song set that showed their musical character was well on its way to being formed. The Echodrone<\/i> EP has a harder edge to it than the music the band makes these days, yet somehow the group\u2019s newer tunes pack more of a punch. The songs on Resurgence<\/i> feel immersive in a way that previous efforts only hinted at.<\/p>\n
Beyond its two founding members, Echodrone\u2019s lineup has seen members come and go. Suh and Dudley believe that the current lineup is effective at bringing together some of the values of classical music with the intensity and layered character of post-rock. \u201cI grew up playing piano,\u201d Suh says. And his parents exposed him to a lot of classical music. \u201cSo those influences have always been there, and they pop up in interesting ways when I write songs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even when the arrangement is gauzy and filled with instrumental sounds that bleed into each other, a rock-solid melodic sense anchors the music. Suh\u2019s handles vocal harmonies, but it\u2019s the sweet yet assured vocals of Jackie Kasbohm that gives Echodrone\u2019s songs a gentle character that balances the formidable roar of electric instruments and drums.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe music has been a reflection of us as we\u2019ve grown in life,\u201d Suh says. \u201cI view our music almost as diary entries.\u201d In a sense, Echodrone\u2019s musical path reflects a maturing. But it also reflects the emotional ups and downs of its creators. Suh refers to the making of 2019\u2019s Everything Starts to be a Reminder<\/i> as a dark period.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was kind of lost with what I wanted to do with music,\u201d he explains. He met up at a bar with Dudley. \u201cWe had a few drinks, and Brandon said to me, \u2018What\u2019s going on? You don\u2019t seem passionate about music any more.\u2019\u201d Suh pondered the question and came to a conclusion: he had been approaching music from the wrong angle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe music was a reflection of our voice,\u201d he says, \u201cbut I was trying to filter it in a way that I thought the world would appreciate.\u201d He realized that this approach was unfulfilling and a never-ending struggle. So he resolved to start making music for himself. \u201cAnd if there are other people that enjoy what I’m doing,\u201d he says, \u201cthat’s great.\u201d<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it challenges for most everyone. But in a way, it also provided an opportunity for Suh to put his new approach to music into practice. \u201cWe were all isolated from everyone, so it was the perfect opportunity to delve into that idea: creating an album purely for my own personal fulfillment.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the results are anything but insular. While there\u2019s a contemplative, inward-looking vibe to songs like the haunting opening track, \u201cMidnight Frost,\u201d the accessible melodic content draws the willing listener into Echodrone\u2019s world.<\/p>\n
Making Resurgence<\/i> while working remotely posed some technical challenges. Each musician recorded his or her parts at home, and audio files were shared using Dropbox. That meant that the real-time interactivity of playing as a band simply wasn\u2019t possible. \u201cYou put your idea down, and it floats off into the ether,\u201d Dudley says with a chuckle. \u201cThen, at some point, you\u2019ll get some feedback [about] how it works in the song.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dudley says that the piecemeal approach changed the way the music came together. \u201cI missed the interplay between the bass and drums,\u201d he admits. \u201cRhythmic ideas come from a different place if you don’t have the drums to react to. I felt like it was a little restrictive.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/echodrone.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
But in fact Echodrone had been using this remote method to make its records for some time even before the pandemic. Though the group has its roots in San Francisco, today the five musicians are scattered across the country. Playing live might have been the original motivation, but it\u2019s been years since the band convened for a live performance.<\/p>\n
Still, Resurgence<\/i> is the sound of a band that\u2019s together in a real \u2014 if not a literal \u2014 sense. Its title notwithstanding, \u201cJaded\u201d conveys an uplifting sense of ecstasy and wonder. And Echodrone makes intriguing choices in its occasional forays into covering other artists\u2019 music. The new album features a reading of Billy Joel\u2019s \u201cMy Life\u201d that feels like a cross between the Polyphonic Spree and the Jesus and Mary Chain.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not the first time Echodrone has sought to recast well-known songs in its own image. Nearly a decade ago, the band\u2019s Mixtape for Duckie<\/i> featured covers of the Alan Parsons Project, Gary Numan, Christopher Cross, and Louis Armstrong’s 1969 James Bond Theme, \u201cWe Have All the Time in the World.\u201d Dudley laughs heartily as he\u2019s read a list of Echodrone cover songs. \u201cWe do<\/i> have pretty wide-ranging musical interests,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach song that you [cover] has its own legacy,\u201d Suh explains. \u201cSo you don’t want to just do it straight. Because, it’s like, \u2018Why would you listen to that? Just go listen to the original!\u2019\u201d And taking on the task of reinventing the songs is a creative endeavor all its own. \u201cIt’s probably one of the hardest challenges I can think of,\u201d Suh says.<\/p>\n
But the core of Echodrone\u2019s musical character is its original material. And Suh defines that lyrical perspective in a way that resonates in the pandemic era: \u201cWe\u2019re all aging in this world, and time passes quickly,\u201d he says. \u201cLife is finite. We can get caught up in all these distractions, but there’s beauty happening right in front of us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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