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Echo Orbiter

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Echo Orbiter
Echo Orbiter performing in 2010
Echo Orbiter performing in 2010
Background information
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresIndie rock, lo-fi, dream pop, shoegazing
Years active1996–present
LabelsLooking Glass Workshop
MembersJustin Emerle
Colin Emerle
Jeremiah Steffen
Rob Hart
WebsiteEcho Orbiter on Myspace

Echo Orbiter is a Philadelphia-based indie rock band founded by brothers Justin Emerle and Colin Emerle, described by Philadelphia Weekly as being "Widely considered two of the most inventive songwriters on the Philadelphia scene."[1]

History

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20th century

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Echo Orbiter performing in 2010

Echo Orbiter formed in 1996 in Westville, New Jersey when brothers Justin Emerle and Colin Emerle began performing with drummer Jeremiah Steffen.[2] Still in high school, the band entered Miner St. Studios in Philadelphia to record their first album, A Moment In Life That’s Right.[3][4] Engineered by Brian McTear, the album was “a consistent incorporation of pleasingly-textured pop tunes.”[5] with what one writer called a resemblance to “Guided by Voices when they made albums that didn’t suck.”[6]

Soon after the release of their first album, the appearance of the track “Spring is Here” on a compilation of Philadelphia’s newly emerging indie bands helped EO gain a spot at the Philadelphia PopFest in 1998 and 1999, and a headlining spot at the PopFest in 2000.[7][8] The band received widespread coverage after “group members pummeled a giant cardboard robot head, obliterated a couple of guitars and violently dismantled their drum kit,” while destroying the venue’s stage equipment in a "Who-like" manner at the 1999 PopFest.[9]

The band reentered Miner St./Cycle Sound Studios in 1999 and recorded their second album, Laughing All The While, which was again engineered by Brian McTear and partly co-engineered by Kurt Heasley of Lilys.[8][10] EO began associating with Elephant 6 Collective,[11] appearing on compilations with of Montreal, often performing with Beulah, of Montreal, and the Minders, and releasing a split-45 with Calvin, Don't Jump!.[12][13][14][15]

21st century

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In 2001, the band was in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, touring with the Starlight Mints, when the September 11 attacks abruptly ended the tour. Following the broken tour, along with the theft of their instruments, EO discontinued playing live shows altogether, last performing in Providence, Rhode Island, on September 18, 2001, and not returning until nine years later to the day.[4]

Although no longer performing live, brothers Justin and Colin continued to record prolifically.[16] During this period the band recorded music for Eventide Production’s short-film Mortality and Get-Kinetic’s short-film 4.50 [17][18] and appeared on over a dozen compilations by various record labels,[19] including their “life affirming” cover of Medicine's “Never Click” on Never Lose That Feeling released in the United Kingdom and Japan on Claire Records and on Club AC30 in the United States.[20][21]

During this time EO also recorded 6 albums, 3 EP's, 5 singles, and 9 full-length compilation albums to accompany the albums and EP's,[4][22] “clocking up 15 years at the coalface of indiedom”[21] with a prolific "collection of superb three-minute pop bursts...."[16]

In 2010, Echo Orbiter released their ninth Studio album, Euphonicmontage.[23] The album’s experimental nature mixed a range of influences from writer Ayn Rand to The Flaming Lips.[15] The album was recorded to reflect the same Cubist style of Picasso’s paintings in music form and was described as “an innovative landmark in the world of indie rock.”[24] In 2010 EO also appeared on Sick of the Radio’s New Wave Moons: R. Stevie Moore Tribute along with Ariel Pink and XTC’s Dave Gregory,[25][26] and represented the United States on Indiecater Record's Fast Forward compilation for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[27][28]

Working along with Green Light Go Publicity to promote Euphonicmontage,[29] Echo Orbiter played their first show in 9 years at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia with Joe Jack Talcum of The Dead Milkmen on September 18, 2010, 9 years to the day of their last show, and were highlighted as a Cover Story in the Music Issue of the Philadelphia City Paper.[4][30] They followed up the year with More Batteries, an EP recorded entirely on a hacked iPhone.[31]

In 2012, EO appeared along with artists including Sean Lennon, Matt Pond, Cornershop, Elf Power, and Ra Ra Riot in Rock Torch Volume One, a book of artists on artists,[32][33] and released a free EP called Aerosol Power, which was recorded in a cabin in the Pocono Mountains in Northeastern Pennsylvania during the winter of 2011 on a four-track reel-to-reel.[34][35]

Discography

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Albums

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EPs

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  • The Khyber Passed (2004), LGW
  • The Time Of Ghosts And Clouds (2006), LGW
  • The Lost Generation And The Golden Age Of Mysteries (2007), LGW
  • More Batteries (2011), LGW
  • Aerosol Power (2012), LGW
  • Luftwaffe Over London (2013), LGW

Singles

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  • “Lost In The Light” (2001), (split 45 with Calvin, Don't Jump!) Perhaps Transparent Records
  • “Sail The Cabin’s Creek” (2002), LGW
  • “I Hope It’s Wonderful” (2002), LGW
  • “Small Town America” (2003), LGW
  • “I’m Ultracet” (2004), LGW
  • “Who Does That Remind You Of?” (2008), LGW
  • “Bicycle Superstar” (2010), LGW
  • "What Scissors Sing In Their Halo Of Fog" (7" single) (2011), LGW

Compilation appearances

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Short-film music

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  • “Golden Wash Of The Sunset” appears in the short-film Mortality (2000), Eventide Productions
  • "Intelligentsia," "Elevator Radio," and "My Dear" appear in the short-film 4.50 (2003), Get-Kinetic Productions

Echo Orbiter full-length compilations

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  • The Delta Nine-Sound (2003), LGW
  • Apathy Cuts Through The Silence (2003), LGW
  • Aerial Laughter of Dreadful Magnificence (2004), LGW
  • Bonne Pensee Du Matin (2005), LGW
  • Oh Damned Night; You Again? (2006), LGW
  • Everything Was Truth And Humor (2007), LGW
  • Trashcan Funeral Service (2008), LGW
  • The Smoke Endures Around All The Lights (2009), LGW
  • The Three Penny Eggplant Symphony (2009), LGW
  • Snowglobe Catastrophe (2011), LGW
  • Placing the Secret to the Glass (2012), LGW
  • We're Talking Negative Cool (2012), LGW

References

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  1. ^ Philadelphia Weekly, June 23, 1999/Volume XXXVIII, No. 10 (Pg. 27)
  2. ^ "Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Billboard.com". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b c d "Citypaper.net". Archives.citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Splendid are detective. Splendid are select". 1map.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  6. ^ Philadelphia Weekly, April 21, 1999/Vol. XXVIII, No. 16 (pg. 70)
  7. ^ Philadelphia Weekly, June 23, 1999/Vol. XXVIII No. 10 (pg. 29–30) Cover Story
  8. ^ a b "Citypaper.net". Archives.citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Citypaper.net". Archives.citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Citypaper.net". Archives.citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Justin Emerle of Echo Orbiter carries a torch for The Perils Of Pauline". Rocktorch.com. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Philly Local Philes: Echo Orbiter's "Mouth of an Incomplete Twin" | the Key". Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  13. ^ "Philadelphia Weekly". Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Perhaps Transparent". World News. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Experimental Indie Rockers Echo Orbiter Release Euphonicmontage". Blog.greenlightgopublicity.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Review: Echo Orbiter – Orphan Kids Withdraw Out Of This Comedy". Leonardslair.wordpress.com. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Four.50". IMDb.com. 5 April 2003. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Echo Orbiter CD Release Party at JB's Sept. 18". Philadelphia.thedelimagazine.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Echo Orbiter | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  20. ^ "V/A Never Lose That Feeling #1 (Club AC30/Clairecords)". Starvox.net. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Echo Orbiter – Never Click". Mp3hugger.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Echo Orbiter: Orphan Kids Withdraw Out of This Comedy | inyourspeakers.com". Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  23. ^ "Eburban". Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  24. ^ "Sickoftheradio.com". Ssickoftheradio.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  25. ^ "Sickoftheradio.com". Sickoftheradio.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  26. ^ "Green Light Go". Glgpub.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  27. ^ "The Claire Herald". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  28. ^ "The World Cup Goes Indie!". Indiecater.com. 8 April 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  29. ^ "Echo Orbiter Celebrate Record Release with First Live Show in Nine Years". Blog.greelightgopublicity.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  30. ^ "Citypaper.net". Citypaper.net. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  31. ^ "Echo Orbiter - More Batteries". Discogs.com. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  32. ^ "Buy the Rock Torch Volume One book today!". Rocktorch.com. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  33. ^ Abramson, Randy (2012). Roch Torch Volume One. Lexington: Henrytronic Books. ISBN 978-0615737942.
  34. ^ "Echo Orbiter - Aerosol Power". Discogs.com. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  35. ^ "Listen to new music from Philly's Echo Orbiter (Playing Kungfu Necktie in July) | the Key". Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
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