RIYL: Hawthorne Heights, Jimmy Eat World, Blink 182, Taking Back Sunday
Since the term “emo” has come to mean different things to different people (and spawned countless thread throwdowns online), it seems safer to slide Echo Screen into the much less loaded genre of pop-punk. Is Fall Out Boy “emo”? Dashboard Confessional? What does “emo” even mean? Surely someone out there has a definitive answer for great questions in life such as these, but until that person steps forward, the rest of us are left to scratch our heads and stare in disbelief at famous guys wearing eyeliner.
Echo Screen made a solid debut in 2003 with their 7-song EP, “An American Tale” and continue to improve with age and experience. Based in Brick, New Jersey, the foursome landed a coveted slot on the Warped Tour in 2006 and have released two more well-received full length LP’s since then as their national stature continues to grow.
In places, “An American Tale” blurs the line between alternative rock and pop-punk, as lead guitarist Anthony Rucci churns out heavily distorted power chords and a double bass pedal pounds away in the background, but the formula here is definitely pop-punk and as such the tunes can feel a bit cookie cutter. Lead singer Shaune Scutellaro is capable, but showcases a run-of-the-mill range with vocals, often straining for high notes and running off-key. Still, the sound and production quality is surprisingly good for an indie debut and more recent releases have found Scutellaro’s pipes less testy.
The best results here surface when Echo Screen mellow out and focus on more straightforward songwriting. “Fools Gold” comes off as a hybrid emo ballad, with a pleasant acoustic guitar and piano abruptly shifting into a propulsive wave of drums and guitars, while “I’ll Have You Sleeping with the Fishes” drops percussion altogether and manages to succeed as a full-on ballad.
Overall, the prerequisites of pop-punk songwriting seem to limit the emotional scope of many tracks on “An American Tale”, likely turning away all but the most die-hard fans. For those new to the band, Echo Screens’ “Euphoria” LP from 2006 would probably be a safer bet.
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More Information
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http://www.myspace.com/echoscreen
http://www.arielpublicity.com
