Eddy Current Suppression Ring just might be the best rock n’ roll band on Earth right now, and their new album Rush To Relax is a testament to this.  But for the seasoned ECSR fan Rush to Relax, at first, doesn’t appear to pack the punch of 2008′s Primary Colors did.

With that said Primary Colors was a phenomenal album, and one that I feel many people missed out on due how it was released (by three labels, in three different parts of the world, and spread out over a year and a half).  While Rush to Relax might not be what fans were expecting, I feel that it runs the gamut of ECSR’s extremely talented range as a rock band slowing down, almost to the point of singing ballads, then going back to their roots…the raw punk rock style of their wonderful selftitled release from 2006.

The first single of Rush to Relax was the blazingly fast, upbeat  “Anxiety.”  A track that easily got current ECSR fans excited, and probably got people who didn’t know these rockers from Australia to turn their heads .  ”Anxiety” isn’t misleading to say, but the album overall  does fluctuate.  The album has many ups and downs tempo wise, and it’s obvious that the band did this on purpose.  Not that all of their songs in the past have been fast, but ECSR has entered into new territory on this record with songs like the spoken “I Can Be A Jerk,” an apology to a lover told through melodic guitar lines, and spoken word vocals (which honestly are a common thing with this band).  ”Walk into the Corner” exhibits ECSR’s return to the punk rock roots, and “Second Guessing” ventures into a territory of rambling story teller so much so that in a sense it reminds me of Craig Finn. Expanding on the already perfected formula to create new texture in sound, and give the listener, not what they expected, but something more.

Rush To Relax is a very telling title with fast upbeats songs balanced out by slowed down jams, and this arch happens three times through the album all culminating with the title track at the end of the record which is an extended jam that slows down to the point that beach sounds take over…and those relaxing waves hitting the beach continue until the needle stops spinning…about a full twenty minutes after the music stops.  It’s almost as if the flow of the album song wise is waves hitting the beach…that initial aggressive push, then a slow down…then the sonic wave repeats.

While the album took some time to sink in, there is no denying that ECSR makes amazing albums time and time again…the listener just has to be ready to grow with the band, and expect something new…not just the same album regurgitated each time.  Rush to Relax truly is a album that will bring ECSR both new fans and continued recognition.  I write this as a person who has already owned two copies of this record (both CD and LP).

Check out the first single (which I previously posted, and talked about earlier in this post), as well as “Burn.”  “Burn” is a perfect example of how ECSR is growing and maturing as a band, learning to slow down, and still rock.  Their guitar line still has heads banging and sonically interesting, but the music is slow enough to actually let people focus on the lyrics.

[mp3] Eddy Current Suppression Ring- “Anxiety”

[mp3] Eddy Current Suppression Ring- “Burn”

• Buy Rush To Relax here.

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Eddy Current Suppression Ring is making a rare appearance in the US starting next week !  Catch them on tour…it’s going to be rad:

• June 12th @ Mohawk in Austin, Texas
• June 15th @ Hi-Tone in Memphis, Tennessee
• June 17th @ Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• June 18th @ Cake Shop in New York, New York
  • with  Pissed Jeans & HOME BLITZ!
    
• June 19th @ Death By Audio in Brooklyn, New York
  • with Pissed Jeans!
    
• June 22nd @ Gooskis in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• June 23rd @ Empty Bottle in Chicago, Illinois
• June 24th @ Empty Bottle in Chicago, Illinois
• June 26th @ Funhouse in Seattle, Washington
• June 27th @ Black Lodge in Seattle, Washington
• July 1st @ Eagle Tavern in San Francisco, California
• July 2nd @ Sugar Mountain in Oakland, California
• July 3rd @ Serra Bowl in Daly City, California

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• more on Eddy Current Suppression Ring can be found here.
• more on Goner Records here.