Music

[Life Is Beautiful 2014]

Life Is Beautiful: Despite clear talent, Echosmith is a generic act

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Echosmith

When I first heard Echosmith’s “Cool Kids” on the radio, I honestly thought it was Taylor Swift—or some other chart-topping DJ featuring this year’s next nondescript up-and-coming pop singer. But I was wrong. It turns out that the band behind the fall earworm is actually a cooler version of Hanson, hailing from LA. Led by 17 year-old Sydney Sierota, the family band ranges from 15 (drummer Graham Sierota is the band’s youngest) to 21, making the group an impressive standout among the LIB roster.

I was surprised, though, to see that the breakout group had one of the largest crowds of the evening, comparable to the swarm at indie queen Jenny Lewis. After five songs—including a watered-down cover of the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be The Place”—I pretty much got the gist. Echosmith is comprised of talented musicians, sure, but the sound is generic, derivative and dull. I guess that’s fine for a fest that skews way more mainstream than its competition, but it left me with no need to hear more. You know how “Cool Kids” just repeats the same line over and over? That’s how the set felt, too.

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