Album Review: Electric Turtle’s Self-Titled Album

ALBANY – On November 16^th, Electric Turtle released their self-titled record. Steeped in psychedelia and pop, this record is extremely straightforward in terms of listening and enjoyability. Though none of the songs seem particularly adventurous or daring in terms of arrangement – it felt like I’d already known the songs prior to finishing them – the record zips by amazingly fast.

The first track, “Moving,” makes for a great example of what future songs on the album will sound like. The rich, lush, and overly saturated reverb effects on the guitars gives the song a sense of dreaminess. In some ways, especially with the layered vocals, it sounds like Electric Turtle is calling upon such acts from the 1960’s, such as The Monkees and The Turtles.

There are some spots on the record that I wished opened up a bit more, such as the chorus on track two, “Can’t Believe.” That being said, “Maybe,” and “Lady Hawk,” tracks three and four, respectively, have some very compelling melodies – lead and backup – during their choruses. As a side note, there is a dog barking in the background at the tail end of “Maybe” that grabs my ear, and serves well to inject a sense of playfulness into the album.

“Bahia,” the fifth track off their album, is sung entirely in Spanish, which makes for a nice change of pace for the record. In addition, there is a really nice, Spanish styled guitar part in this song that adds to the piece.  The straightforward nature of this album, while not changed up in terms of arrangement or song stylings – at least in any major sense – features a slight curve on the latter half of the album.

In songs such as “In the Morning,” and “Olé,” tracks six and seven, respectively, the band utilizes a guitar that is being heavily fuzzed through effects. By doing so, they add another “color,” so-to-speak, in terms of production choices and tones, that help to drive the ears forward while listening to this record. My favorite track on the album is the following, “Trying to Get Back.” In a sense, it’s as if all the best bits of this release came to a head on this song. The tones, arrangement, and melody all fell in a way that really makes the song shine. Closing the album with a Merle Haggard song, “Silver Wings,” felt a tad out of place to this listener, albeit the fact it was a nice rendition.

All-in-all, this is a very easy album to parse through. While not much stands out, there isn’t anything that is jarring, or uneasy. Accessible and enjoyable in many sections, Electric Turtle has created an album that fans of lush tones, and upfront pop tunes will be able to enjoy. Hear the record for yourself by following the link at the end of this article.

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Relevant link:

https://electricturtle1.bandcamp.com/album/electric-turtle-2