Album Review

Yeti Lane – The Echo Show

• 29th Jun 2012

The synthesizers and whale-song imitating bleeps on opening track ‘Analog Wheel’ set the store for the rest of this spaced out, ethereal offering from Parisian psych-pop duo Yeti Lane. Eschewing the poppier side of the their previous record, The Echo Show is an experiment in spacerock that sees the two piece floating ever further from Earth’s atmosphere and exploring new frontiers.

There’s a deep, trance-like, hypnotic quality to this album – something not easily achieved by a two man band. Indeed there’s often so much going on in this eclectic soundscape that it’s difficult to see quite how Ben Pleng and Charlie B manage to make quite so much noise on their own; how they recreate this live is something we’re left only guessing at but would pay over the odds to see. ‘Warning Sensations’ and ‘Strange Call’ are personal highlights, recalling Pavement and The Flaming Lips in their unusual arrangement and twisted, driving waves of noise.

Producer Antoine Gaillet (M83, Zombie Zombie & more) has undoubtedly lent an incredible audio quality to the sonics of this record; the production is utterly flawless. Fizzing electronica melds into Big Muff distorted guitars, but most notably the heavy rock and roll drumming never feels at odds with the psychedelic guitars or unusual arrangements. The closing track ‘Faded Spectrum’ is a behemoth of white noise, almost uncomfortably oppressive to listen to but an undoubtedly impressive climax to a highly accomplished album. In the words of Ben Pleng, “I think I’m just gonna turn my amps up loud and enjoy the sounds”.