''Echoes from the Underground'' is the sixth studio album from the band

Vertical Horizon Vertical Horizon is an American alternative rock band, formed in Washington, D.C. Vocalists and guitarists Matt Scannell and Keith Kane started the band in 1991 when they were students at Georgetown University. The band have undergone multiple ...

, released on October 8, 2013. "Broken Over You" was released as the lead single.Brandle, Lars
"Rush's Neil Peart Fills It Up In Vertical Horizon 'Instamatic' Sessions: Video Exclusive"
October 2, 2013. billboard.com.

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

drummer

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

played drums on two of the album's tracks.

Background

In 2010, shortly after the band's 2009 album '' Burning the Days'', co-founder Keith Kane left Vertical Horizon to pursue solo projects. The band's other co-founder and

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Matt Scannell Matthew B. Scannell (born February 10, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Scannell is the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, primary songwriter, and founding member of the alternative rock band Vertical Hor ...

turned to

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

to financially support the creation of the new record. Supporters who put down money ahead of time were allowed first access to over two years worth of "

making of In cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK (electronic press kit) vid ...

", behind-the-scenes footage of the album's creation, and a copy of the album upon release.

Writing and recording

Scannell wrote more than 50 songs over the four-year period of developing the album. While Scannell did not replace Kane after his departure, he did collaborate with artists he had worked with in the past. Drummer

of the band

was once again recruited to record drums for two tracks on the album, one of which was "Instamatic", which Scannell ironically described as "Lyrically, it's just your average

spy thriller Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligen ...

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

". Peart also performed drums on the slow-paced, somber album closer "South for the Winter", despite initial reservations that it was not the type of song he would play on. Scannell persuaded him to play for that very reason, that he wanted to see a seasoned drummer play outside of his comfort zone. Scannell also reunited with

Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary music, adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's Richard Marx (album), self-titled debut album went tri ...

, with whom he had worked on his ''Duo'' project, who co-wrote the opening track "You Never Let Me Down", and helped produce vocals for the track "Half Light".

Concept and themes

The record is a loose

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

. "South for the Winter" was initially going to be a song dedicated to troops overseas, but as the it developed, Scannell shifted it to more personal themes, and instead wrote "A Song for Someone" for US troops posted overseas.

Reception

Track listing

All songs written by

, except where noted. #"You Never Let Me Down" (Scannell,

) - 4:02 #"Broken Over You" - 4:51 #"Evermore" - 5:14 #"Song for Someone" - 5:15 #"Half-Light" - 4:16 #"Instamatic" - 4:46 #"Consolation" - 5:19 #"Lovestruck" - 5:52 #"Frost" - 6:13 #"I Free You" - 4:18 #"South for the Winter" - 7:10

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Crowdfunded albums Vertical Horizon albums