Label: Universal Records

Release Date: September 30, 2003

Website: www.therapturemusic.com

The Rapture - Echoes
Dan MacIntosh

Once you get over the fact that The Rapture's lead singer, Luke Jenner, is a vocal dead ringer for Robert Smith of The Cure, its album Echoes can be quite an enjoyable listening experience. But beware: this whole Cure thing is quite an aural hurdle.

From the opening vocal phrases of the album-opening, "Olio," it's hard not to notice the giant black shadow cast by Goth's big-hair-ed and red-lipstick-ed one. On the plus side, however, The Rapture incorporates a lot of musical variety in its mix, which is also a positive Cure-like trait. "Open Up Your Heart," for instance, features saxophone and a jazzy melody, while "Sister Savior" is built upon a 4/4 disco beat with a much more Bono-esque vocal employed. The album closes with "Infatuation," which is this album's lone ballad. On the title track, and a few other places, the socialist-funk band, Gang Of Four, is also brought to mind. "Echoes" sports chanted group vocals, scratchy and stripped down electric guitar for a truly Gang-related track.

Although The Rapture's music is eclectic, its lyrics almost completely miss the Second Coming here, so to speak. Too many times, disappointingly, lines are repeated endlessly, only to become less interesting with each and every repetition. Many of these songs are just about as trite as are their overused song titles, exemplified by "I Need Your Love."

Finally, listening to Jenner's painful singing throughout this disc certainly leads one to believe that he's going through the Great Tribulation, rather than being saved by The Rapture. But at least he has The Cure.

posted 11.27.03

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Dan is the lifeline to banjo virtuosi everywhere (courtesy of Googlism). E-mail him at dmacinto@elite.com

2003 White Elephant Productions