Echolalia

“Echolalia” Winterpills
Winterpills is a five-piece band out of Northampton, Massachusetts — two hours west of Boston. The band has previously released four albums of indie folk-rock and chamber pop. This is largely a side project of two band members: Philip Price and Flora Reed, with only one track (#11) on which the full band performs. Nevertheless, it is labeled as a Winterpills album. “Echolalia” is a wonderful set of covers — and not your father’s covers either. The artists’ covered (which I’ve listed track-by-track below) range from Sharon Van Etten to Damien Jurado and The Go-Betweens, with only a few “name” bands (The Beatles, Beck, Buddy Holly, XTC). The artistry and creativity are exquisite, making this not simply a bunch of cheap copies, but rather a set of originals really worthy of your consideration.
— Francis

Recommended: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12. No FCCs detected.

1. (4:37) One Day (Sharon Van Etten) – Stately mid-tempo. Acoustic guitar and female vocals in the beginning, with layers of piano, tambourine and harmonies added as the song goes on. ****
2. (4:25) Time of No Reply (Nick Drake) – Droney psych-rock. Male vocals. Fuzzy guitar and crashing cymbals from time to time. ****
3. (3:50) From a Shell (Lisa Germano) – Dramatic psych-rock, noisy in places. Cello creates an ominous-sounding foundation in the choruses.
4. (4:08) Open your Eyes (Jules Shear) – Mid- to up-tempo with a nice beat. Lilting folk-rock with shimmering guitar and a dash of pedal steel. Male lead vocals. ***
5. (3:41) Learning the Game (Buddy Holly) – Strumming acoustic guitar pushed through a reverb effects generator to create a glistening, echo-y sound. Gets loud and a bit distorted towards the end.
6. (3:12) We’re the Same (Matthew Sweet) — Light and poppy synth bed. Great duet between Flora and Philip
7. (4:13) Bye Bye Pride (The Go-Betweens) – Wistful and dreamy chamber folk-pop, with pillow soft lead vocals that sound like Peter, Paul and Mary. ****
8. (2:56) Museum of Flight (Damien Jurado) – Guitar-driven folk-rock with throaty female lead vocals and male harmonies. Like an early Fleetwood Mac tune.
9. (4:09) Train Running Low on Soul Coal (XTC) – 1960s-style folk. Very stripped down and soulful, like a bluesy Buffalo Springfield tune. Builds to a rockin’ train rhythm at the end. ***
10. (3:24) A World Away from this One (Mark Mulcahy) – Gentle guitar and piano ballad with beautiful female vocals. Other instruments are layered in as well.
11. (4:28) The Wolf Is on the Hill (Beck) — Chamber folk-pop. The only track with the full Winterpills band on it.
12. (4:32) Cry Baby Cry (The Beatles) — Picked guitar. Falsetto male lead interchanges with female lead in middle verse. Electric guitar a la late 1960s Beatles in the lead break, plus a 45-second trail-out, also typical of Beatles of that era. ***