Opposites, they say, attract, and that is certainly true in the case of “We Are Echos,” the latest one from Across Phoenix. Somehow, they manage to mix and merge the quirky and off-kilter with the infectious, slightly abrasive angularity with dreamy textures, and raw sonics with spacious atmospherics, and they do so effortlessly, so much so that you can’t see the joins.
Not so much pop or even alt-pop, but perhaps alt-alt-alt pop, or even what can only be distantly glimpsed when you find yourself in such far-out and liminal spaces. At its most focused, it reminds me of Warpaint, but the song’s shifting nature means that other references flit quickly past: the strange rhythmic shamanics of Talking Heads, the odd addictiveness of the Flaming Lips, and the dream-state creations of Cocteau Twins… had it all been recorded in the back bedroom of a student house after a night of partying. (Did I use party as a verb? Sorry, won’t happen again.)
Some bands try to be purposefully odd, strange, and weird to advance their careers. But you can’t fake eccentricity; if you do, you just sound like you are trying too hard. The reason why “We Are Echos” works so well is because you get the feeling that Across Phoenix has no choice but to sound this beautifully out of step with…well, everything. And long may they continue to do so.
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