IO Echo - Self-titled EP

You may not recognize the name but odds are you have heard at least one song by newcomers IO Echo. Their song "Doorway" was featured in the new Palm Pre commercial that has been all over television screens for the past few months, not to mention being shown in theaters before several summer blockbusters such as Star Trek and Harry Potter.

When I tell most people about a new band the first response I hear is "Who do they sound like?". First off, I hate this question. New music should be evaluated on its own merit and not on the random comparison to another band you may or may not like/love/hate. Second, it's really hard to answer... how do you label a band like IO Echo? Indie rock? Goth rock? Experimental Rock? In the end all you have to know is that they are an amazing blend of catchy guitar riffs and thumping bass lines.

The driving force behind the music is the bands vocalist, IO (a.k.a. Joanna Gikas), who composed the majority of the songs that make up the bands self-titled EP released back in May. The bands name is derived from the Greek translation of her name, Joanna, combined with the word Echo. It's hard not to make comparisons to Alison Mosshart (from the Kills) or Siouxie (from Siouxsie and the Banshees) when you listen to the lyrics of songs such as "Addicted" or my personal favorite the cover of the Beatles "I Want You(She's So Heavy". In addition to singing, IO also plays rhythm guitar and keyboards. The rest of IO Echo is comprised of Leopold Ross on lead guitar, Paul Rinis on drums and Salvatore Romano on tambourine and keyboards.

Originally from Washington, D.C., IO came to Los Angeles to form IO Echo. While they are still unsigned the band has been gaining momentum collaborating with The Von Bondies and She Wants Revenge as well as touring with OK Go and opening for Nine Inch Nails.

According to a interview on rebellezine.blogspot.com IO Echo describe their sound like:

"being in a motel room at 4am and the people in the room to your left are having loud sex while the people in the room on your right are listening to songs of praise on a transistor radio"

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that the one thing that gets my attention is a smart, sassy indie rock female singer/songwriter. One thing is for sure IO will have my attention for the foreseeable future.

http://www.io-echo.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/io+echo
http://www.myspace.com/ioecho
http://twitter.com/ioecho