ECHO US

Artist's Website
Contact Artist
Oregon, USA

Available CDs

Warranties and Disclaimers

"Here we have another one-man band, this one is based in the electronica side of progressive rock. The band is called Echo Us, and from the website the man behind it, Ethan Matthews, was in a band called Greyhaven. They seem to be on a hiatus or dissolved. I haven’t heard them so I won’t comment on the differences between the two bands.

The music on Echo Us’ debut is as the aforementioned based in electronica with nods to symphonic progressive music and ambient. The music flows almost like a soundtrack with it’s cinematic qualities to the songwritting. The mood is dark and dreamy throughout the album with brooding vocals.

From the several listens, I found that Echo Us does musically what the latest Chroma Key should have done, by making the songs jump out at you not put you to sleep. This is one of those releases that takes several listens to sink in but when it does, you have yourself a keeper. It’s one of the 2004 releases that needs to be heard by more people. Take a chance, you won't regret it!" - Ron Fuchs, Prognaut.com

"Echo Us is the solo project of Ethan Mathews, located in Portland - Oregon, who was founder of the Progressive Rock band Greyhaven in 1996. In this solo project Mathews goes a step further from the Metal sound of the band to approach his personal interest in electronic and ambient music.

In his debut album, songs like “Dreaming” and “To Save You” will give you an accurate picture of the curious mix of influences from 80’s Synth Pop and Progressive Rock to Ambient electronic music. If you could visualize his music you might see a club party where guests like Ultravox, Twelfth Night, Depeche Mode, Saga, and A-ha are hanging around together in the same room. The result of this particular combination features a pretty curious production. The arrangements and sound of the album bring back the spirit of any production from the early 80’s, including vocals, programming drums, guitars, and especially all of the keyboards.

In “Directed Study” Ethan’s vocals recall unavoidably the wonderful singer from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Holly Johnson, which makes me think that the 00’s are missing more vocalists of his kind. The track also shows a very nice work of programming, especially on the drum and the keyboard sequences.

“Her Heart’s Army”, introduced with some church organ chords in the most progressive tradition, breaks with a furious attack of pounding EBM sequences, and making a statement of how every combination is possible in the music of Echo Us. This song is a curious electronic vocal piece with constant measure and harmony changes, from 4/4 to 5/4 to 7/4 and so on, in a revival of the most complex progressive structures. For the lovers of Progressive Rock this should be the high spot of the album and is a really well constructed piece of music.

“Who Loves You” bring a pause to the vocals with a beautiful oriental melody sitting in the middle of a cold atmospheric landscape of tones, samples, and echoes. The cold picture of the track melts down with “Two Save You”, a curious latin “lambada”, which is the most commercial oriented song of the album, without loosing its personal style.

“I Radiate I” is another explosive combination where Trance, Progressive, and Pop styles are melted in a peculiar way that I’m not sure of ever having heard before. Echo Us creates a continuous and singular multi-instrumental cinematic feeling backing the vocals and combining Metal Rock drums and brilliant Electronica that would please any fan of bands like Rush or Dream Theatre.

“In the Fall” closes the album with another Synth Pop influenced tune with an extensive work on the keyboards sequencing.

Despite all the influences of different music styles, this is an album of Pop Rock songs with a Pop structure, very tastefully produced, beautifully arranged, and intensively interpreted with a very personal voice. Echo Us has done an excellent album in a very concrete and defined style that stays all the way through. The whole production and arrangement of programmed drums, keyboards, and vocals, gives the feeling that Ethan knows exactly what he wants. I am sure that there is an army of Progressive Rock and electronic music lovers out there who would really enjoy this album. It also makes me think that in electronic music, it’s time for new musical formulas to be heard." - Koldo Barroso, IntuitiveMusic.com

"Ethan Matthews, the sole brains behind the creation of the ever progressive ensemble Echo Us has recorded a three tracker which just cannot be labeled. The consistent use of synthesizer, drum programming and almost rock and reggae type smooth vocals give this baby an eerie presence. Musically, it is quite atmospheric mixing in plenty of prog rock influences tied in very well with his own unique twist on this spiritual, ethereal journey of the world beyond the cerebral cortex." - Sarjoo Devani- Explicitly Intense Magazine

"Ethan Matthews likes to darken decidedly different corridors, these days. With the heavy-prog trio, Greyhaven—formed in high school with friends he also attended Berklee with—he saw one eponymous CD released on Germany’s Angular Records that made a brief, yet sizeable splash for the group. For now, Greyhaven is history, and Echo Us is a venture that trades a densely symphonic approach for a lighter, prevalently electronic veneer. The three songs on this demo can be described as melodic, dark synthpop, not without trance & trip-hop underpinnings. “Who Loves You” is a charming, reggae-tinged ditty that opens with a gently percolating sequence. Ethan’s vocal style is fairly straightforward (assuming those are his vocals, here), pleasant, expressive, and stays within the realm of good taste. Economically-picked, processed-sounding guitar notes form a subtle solo in the cushion of spectral synthetics. Heavier distorted percussion throbs to life on the futuristic funker, “Directed Study.” I can’t pinpoint exactly which singer the vocals resemble on this track, but there’s something peculiar about that delivery (in a good way). A nasally, kazoo-like tone—presumably a Korg sound—stands out. “In The Fall” opens with more textured, Tangerine Dream-esque sequencing and a vocal melody that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Xymox record, were it transposed down two octaves. Now, I’ll admit I wasn’t very keen on these songs when I first heard them, but after a few listens, several days apart, songs like these assume a mosslike nature and start growing on you. As a one-man project, Ethan solidly demonstrates that he’s got a knack for editing and arranging—rough edges are filed down enough so that they don’t pierce, but they never reach marble smoothness, either. Some of the digital synth sounds lend an ‘80s flavor to the material, so your mileage may vary. Most importantly, this is edgy stuff, something that followers of the artists on labels 4AD and Projekt will probably dig. Have a listen." - Elias Granillo, Sea of Tranquility