Album of the Week: Troop of Echoes’ The Longest Year On Record

Listening to a brand new album from a band you haven’t seen play in ages is a lot like running into an old friend. Track by track, you catch up on things while seeing how much they’ve changed over the years. Hopefully, they impress you with every note. This is where the long-awaited new album from Providence experimental alternative jazz-rock act A Troop Of Echoes comes in. The Longest Year On Record shows that this amazing quartet of musical visionaries is back and here to stay after a little hiatus, and the timing couldn’t be better. In Providence the quality of music, art and creativity is at an all-time high, and A Troop Of Echoes’ new album reintroduces them to the local consciousness in the most emphatic way possible.

With the luxury of local sound engineer Graham Mellor (who has worked with the likes of Gov’t Mule and ZZ Top — no big deal) assisting in the recording process, there’s no wonder why the production on The Longest Year On Record is so good. The raw, sonic riffs from Nick Cooper’s guitar give the grit while Peter Gilli makes it smooth on sax and Dan Moriarty exudes sheer power on the drums. Add the solid bass licks from Harrison Hartley and you’ve got one hell of a band. Top it off with a few violins and cellos and you really have something special. The new album from A Troop Of Echoes never ceases to astound me with the depth of each song. Think of it as a trifle — each layer is something different, but all are equally delicious.

I’ve seen a few weird things lately: people wearing boots as hats, a restaurant named after a piece of revealing underwear, and drivers cutting people off without a care in the world. Okay, the cutting off thing isn’t really that weird since people in Providence see it every day, but I think you’d catch my drift. To take a break from the weirdness around you, dive into the top tracks off of my Album of the Week. Even if you like keeping it weird, you should still give it a shot. Anyways, here goes something:

Gilli starts it off with his sax on “Arecibo” and then a wall of sludge comes crashing down from Cooper’s guitar to do some serious brain-melting. The baroque pop of “Kerosene” is magnificently pleasant on a track that includes a xylophone, violin, cello and a full horn section. The starting number on the album, “Manifest and Legion,” can almost make your head cave in when Moriarty unleashes hell on the drums. I only named a few, but don’t you worry; The Longest Year On Record is one of the best albums you’ll ever hear coming out of The Creative Capital.

A Troop Of Echoes will embark on a tour of the midwest United States and parts of Canada starting with a super-duper secret nine-band show at the band’s practice space in Providence on June 14. They’ll be joining fellow Providence indie act Taperstries at Club K in Baltimore the following night, and will close out the tour at AS220 in Providence with Hannes Buder, Dylan Sevey and The Gentlemen, Bored With Four and Headless Nixon on June 24. If you go to any of these shows, grab a copy of The Longest Year On Record. Once you press play on this bad boy, you’ll never want to stop listening.

A Troop Of Echoes’ Website:  atroopofechoes.com