Dead Leaf Echo's Faint Violet Whiff

by Paul Zimmerman First Coast News

Dead Leaf Echo as the name might imply is a dark band. This New York band is a deep, intriguing, dreamy band that has its heart somewhere other than New York City. With it's influences ranging from U2 to Echo and the Bunnymen to just about every worthy late 80's British band they simply belong somewhere in the British Isles surrounded by rain, cups of tea, and the thought of never seeing the sun again.

Sounding something like a proto-shoegazing band with its roots in the more depressing and darkly humorous side of life, Dead Leaf Echo's debut album, Faint Violet Whiff is a swirly, ethereal, darkly beautiful record. The songs on it waft and flow like a foggy evening. They are hazy translucent affairs that are so epic speakers can barely contain them. Faint Violet Whiff might not be the most upbeat thing in the world but its ghostly presence and widescreen songs will have an effect.

From the near gothy "Poison Life," to the near Bono yelps of, "Walking Away," and the completely spacey "Shell of Life," Faint Violet Whiff is a fantastic trip through the heavens and beyond. As evidenced by Faint Violet Whiff, Dead Leaf Echo is a mysterious and obtuse band that teeters between the lines of what is dark alternative and what is dream pop.

It's this constant battle between the dark and the light that makes this band so great and what helps make Faint Violet Whiff a record shrouded in illusion. Faint Violet Whiff is not an instantly accessible album and it is only after several listens that Dead Leaf Echo's songs will take hold. Once they do their intricately delicate songs won't let go.

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