aaamusic | On 20, Mar 2011

Bringing to mind Deerhunter’s excellent Halycon Digest, Summer Echoes showcases the same inventive blend of ambient, folky rock and dashes of gentle electronic effects (though less so here than in the former album). The whole thing feels very well thought out, not quite ethereal but dreamy and somewhat detached from reality all the same. Although it’s hardly heavy going, I wouldn’t recommend jumping in and out at will – the record is at its most enjoyable when experienced in its complete form. That being said, there are a few stand-out tracks (Always Everything springs to mind, as does introductory track Easier). If you’re still on the fence about the album I’d suggest giving either of these tracks a listen, they provide a pretty clear view of what sound Sin Fang’s going for here. Jumping around all over the place for the sake of it is hardly a concrete recipe for a success, and so when I say Summer Echoes has a solid, consistent ‘sound’, I mean it as a good thing. This isn’t so say it’s boring, as it really isn’t; there’s enough diversity to keep the record out of the murky waters of repetition. Instead there is the sense that the artist knew exactly what he was going for and made a conscious decision to stick to it. The result is a genuinely enjoyable, innovative record that deserves to be listened to.

Author: Katharine Sparks