First thing you will notice about this cd is the horrible design on the sleeve. But, when you start playing the cd (and put the cd case out of sight) all of this is forgotten soon. Opening track ‘In Pop We Trust’ shows a tranquil and melodic but nicely melancholy Echo West. The typical mood of the band is evident at once.
The title of the album is chosen very well. After the more industrial/gothic influenced album ‘Echoes Of The West’ this new cd features tracks with hints at different pop music styles. This means Echo West party moves partly away from the true minimal electronics / elektro-wave style.
‘Hitchhike To Biscuitland’ is a rather catchy and poppy electronic wave track that could do well on the dancefloor. ‘So Kalt’ and ‘In Deinen Augen’ are somewhat Neue Welle inspired but darker and real hits. ‘Paranoid’ and in a way also ‘Fucking Gloom’ and ‘Daring A New Pain’ are (cyber) gothic influenced as it seems. These tracks are not very successfully done and far too much over the top.
Luckily there is also a track like ‘Calling’, a very nice slow and gloomy wave track which shows the skills of the musician at work. Overall, In Pop We Trust is a solid and good new album. There is a nice diversity in sounds and moods. Also, compared with the previous album this one is much stronger. Echo West proves to be still on of the best acts in the field of contemporary minimal electronics.
If you missed the convincing performance in The Netherlands last year (or want to see Echo West again) you can catch the band live on stage again on Sunday afternoon 24 September at Pop Terrible in Amersfoort (together with Wermut).
