Alter Echoes is the second album
Triptides have made since moving to L.A. from Indiana, and their first in a fancy studio, one that boasts a pedigree ranging from
the Standells to
Pink Floyd. It's also their first for Alive Naturalsound Records, and after all that, it's not a shock that it is their sunniest, most polished, and hardest rocking album to date. The band's leader
Glenn Brigman and the new lineup of bassist Stephen Burns and drummer Brendan Peleo-Lazar decided to strip away any remaining vestiges of the lo-fi, reverb-heavy group they once were to become something bright, clean, and super jangly. The album is loaded with songs that have a tight rhythm section backing some seriously chiming 12-string guitar, edging away from psychedelia just a bit in favor of super-charged folk-rock with a kick. Tracks like "It Won't Hurt You" and "Let It Go" show off how the arrangements and sound have both tightened and expanded without losing any of the hooks in the process, "Hand of Time" displays some hard rock crunch, and on "Now and Then" the group bop along happily like they are auditioning for Where the Action Is. Even though they've cleaned up a bit, there is still plenty of psychedelia wafting around the edges of the arrangements, be it phased guitar strums, hazy shades of organ, or the occasional bit of purple prose in the lyrics. Along with changing up their overall sound, the band also try out some new things stylistically. The center of the album is anchored by a few straight-up ballads. "Elemental Chemistry" rolls along slowly like late-period
Rain Parade jamming with early-'70s
Pink Floyd, "Shining" is a soft rock-meets-prog rock adventure built on keening slide guitar and electric piano, and "Moonlight Reflection" comes across like a vintage
Todd Rundgren song complete with lovely vocal harmonies and piano. The best of the batch is the very
Zombies-sounding "She Doesn't Want to Know," with
Brigman doing his best
Colin Blunstone as the group vamps jazzily behind him. These stretches out of their comfort zone work well for the band, giving the record more depth than previous efforts. They may be slightly less retro now -- very slightly -- but any disappointment this alteration might bring is balanced out by the reliably good songs and performances. ~ Tim Sendra