Echo Orbiter are clearly influenced by the Beatles, but they don't succumb to mere plagiarism as others have done. Their second CD is full of psychedelic, childish whimsy and hummable songs.
"Silence The Little Sparkle Girl" has a few touches of "Strawberry Fields Forever" and Beach Boys-like harmonies. It's sunny but has a certain melancholy. "Cooling Down by the Sea" revisits Beach Boys land and winds up sounding like a cousin to "California Girls."
"Hey Mr Moonman" is very much in thrall to the Beatles and doesn't really offer anything new to the musical blend. It's one of the few tracks where Echo Orbiter take their influences too seriously.
"Blue Stew, Oh the Witches Brew" is more original. It has cackling witchy laughter and eerie sounds. It walks a tightrope between genuine dementia and childish mockery.
Echo Orbiter have made a good record that uses a lot of old tricks, but in relatively new ways. It's worth hearing if you like the genre.
