Album: The Start Ep
Source: Leeds Music Scene
By: James Stringer
3.5/5
The first thing that hits me about The Start is the female vocalist. She (Aimee Echo) has a very distinctive voice that you'll either love or find that it grates you, ever so slightly. What's more striking is the fact that she carries it off well, in places being melodic and sweet and in others being sleazy and Elastica-esq. 'Death via Satellite' opens the eponymous EP with feeding-back guitar and rocking drumbeats. Hooky choruses are complemented well by the introduction of analogue synths somewhere in the background rising and falling. The synths are used with moderation and don't rule the sound like an eighties pop record, which I can tell you is a good thing, but instead create an ethereal, dark sound behind the grungy, Glam rock guitars. In 'Los Angelos' the ethereal spooky sound is there again but is still quite upbeat. Building up to a major hook it peaks and troughs to a haunting conclusion, distorted vocals, reverb-laden guitars and scary synths while still managing to rock. The sixth and last track 'Trinity' is the obligatory 6-minute epic and is a good closer to the EP, if not a tad samey to the other material.
