Econoline re-probe neglected quality question

These Econoline persons don’t mess about but go for the crux of the cultural matter and point the finger: ‘Music Is Stupid’. True, music is moronic and utter rubbish nowadays; but then, there are 6 billion inhabitants on this sorry rock in space and they all have opinions. Furthermore, there are 4 billion who have never heard of popular music.

What kind of music is stupid, then? Mozart? Zeppelin? Zappa? Sakamoto? ‘Pop Idol’? The title of the album is certainly polemic in its generality. Now, does this statement include the band itself? If stupid, why take part at all? Why join the process if it is considered to be continually dumbed down? It’s been proven time and again that you can’t subvert from the outside, nor within, the machine incorporates any dissenters by sanitizing and homogenizing everything.

Alas, there are more questions than answers this album provides. Which is a good thing because too many artists get disillusioned that an opinion can be universal truth: others simply wallow in a palace (it might as well be a bedsit) of comfort, solitude and self-pity, or simply – try to slip a fast one past you. Econoline stand against it all and their kind of alt-indie rock is wistful, jangly and ethereal as it used to be in the more enthusiastic days.

A tad slow intro (not dissimilar to something Joy Division used to dig) to ‘The C And The G’ is soon succeeded by an explosion of instruments, vocal and emotions. ‘I’m Plagued’ feels like the members have been infected with a punk-virus while ‘Empty Sign Up Sheet’ is a little bit restrained to place it firmly within the ‘new-wavers’ of the late 1970s. ‘Junction Box’ sports sound that is reminiscent of the legendary Postcard label, ‘Missing From Pictures’ uses tribal rhythms to build near-psychedelic sonic paysage.

London-based Ian Scanlon, Piers Chandler, Tom Emerling, Rowan Hunn, Valentina Magaletti and Steve Morris know loud and energetic but are certainly not afraid to slow down and consider the gentler and mellower tonal scales; this is infrequent and only momentary although the most striking moments are the quiet-to-epic ‘EMV’. Econoline touch on emo-rock but that is just in passing, they leave it to the softer boys. ‘Ounces And Ounces Of Solid Goodness’ and ‘Flypast Is Go! charge at the senses, these are hearing’s equivalent to extreme sport, without going metal!

The album concludes triumphantly with ‘Buddy Bradley’; like brandy’n’cigar ending a feast of champions in a greasy-spoon…

Music industry is dead… stupid.

8/10