Description
The Winter of Our Discontent is an album by the American synth-pop band The Echoing Green, released on A Different Drum in April 2003, manufactured by Polar Bear Productions. (A Special Edition was later licensed to and manufactured by BEC Recordings in December 2004, distributed by EMI CMG Distribution.) The album was recorded and mixed in Logic at The Echoing Green Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico; with band member Joey Belville producing and programming.
Featuring a cover of “Bittersweet”, a song written by Trey Many and originally recorded by his band Velour 100 on their 1997-album Of Color Bright. (The BEC Recordings edition also features a cover of “The Sparrows & The Nightingales”, a song originally recorded by the German synth-pop band Wolfsheim.)
His musical prowess is undeniable, as the Echoing Green’s Joey Belville creates syrupy sweet synth pop. Warm bass lines, aggressive beats, luscious harmonies, and beautiful melodies add up to terrific pop songs. Known for combining the fun of ’80s synth with today’s electronica, it’s as a lyricist that Joey B. has shown the most growth.
The band’s latest, Winter of Our Discontent shows Belville has once again taken a tremendous stride forward. Highlights include «Story of Our Lives», which is sure to be an instant classic among fans. The song alludes to heaven, as it speaks of a life lived with eternal perspective “anything and everything is meaningless when heaven’s waiting.”
«Fall Awake» shows the group exploring darker, yet rewarding sounds. The production is carefully orchestrated, with chirping crickets, and other effects layered together.
No Echoing Green album would be complete without a cover or two. «Winter» is no exception. Joey B. has chosen to record «Bittersweet», a late ’90s song by Velour 100. For ’80s pop fans, the Echoing Green has also bent Simple Minds’ «New Gold Dream» to their liking.
Joey B. has taken another lyrical risk, for the first time writing a love song to his wife. Starting with songs like «Ambler» on the classic Hope Springs Eternal Joey’s songs have increasingly become personal and poetic reflections. «Heidi’s Song» features some of Joey’s most winsome lyrics yet.
I can see the destiny
in your russet eyes
and I can hear a symphony
in your autumn sighsThe theme of winter is woven through the album, as Joey B. sings about the cold, grey world around him. Yet in the end, he simply longs for grace.
The Echoing Green started as a duo with Joey B. and a friend, however by the time the group’s first album was released, it was as a solo project. One of the smartest things Joey B. did was to find a female vocalist to complement the sound. Chrissy Jeter does that, just as she’s done on the band’s last few albums. She’s not merely a background singer, but often sings leads, and adds greatly to the texture of the sound as a whole.
Joey Belville’s production skills have always been good, but have never been better than they are here. Virtually everything was played, created, and recorded on a computer. Yet the album maintains a warm, joyous feel. Not all of the songs can live up to «Story», «Heidi’s Song», or «New Gold Dream» but it may well be the group’s most consistent album to date.
Joey Belville and his wife Heidi recently had their first child, and with Chrissy Jeter and her new husband expecting one of their one, we may not get many more albums like this, but when we do, make sure to play it loud! [Steve White, The Phantom Tollbooth, 7/21/03]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-winter-of-our-discontent/716259102)
CD tracklist:
01. Daybreak – 1:26
02. The Story Of Our Lives (feat. soprano vocals by Jenna London) – 5:30
03. Fall Awake – 5:56
04. Apology – 4:37
05. Bittersweet – 5:36
06. Starling – 5:07
07. Blind – 4:13
08. Someday (feat. piano by Jason Smith) – 5:06
09. Heidi’s Song – 3:54
10. New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) – 4:37
11. Winter – 5:07
Note: A Special Edition CD was released by BEC Recordings in December 2004, featuring a slightly different tracklist than the original 2003 release. Two tracks of the original version (“Heidi’s Song” and “New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84)”) are replaced by two new tracks (“Epiphany” – 4:09, and, “The Sparrows & The Nightingales” – 3:53). One more song from The Story of Our Lives EP (“Seaside” – 3:02) and an Echo Image remix of “The Story of Our Lives” (“The Story Of Our Lives (Echo Image Remix)” – 5:11) cap off the Special Edition CD.
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