Formed by Martin
Kennedy in the late 1990s, All India Radio share
a similar aesthetic to the likes of Sydney’s Decoder
Ring. Instead of making music that is of a time
or a place, the group make what timeless, elegant
sounds, influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd.
“Four Three” and “The Time” feature wafting vocals
from Selina Cross and Chloe Hall respectively, but
much of the three-piece’s fourth album Echo Other is
about soundscapes and creating a genuine feeling.
Instead of attempting to link it all in together, Echo
Other finds individual tracks separated out.
It makes for an album that is beautiful
to listen to, with some amazing sounds created
by founding
member Martin Kennedy and his cohorts. However, there
is no central focus to it – the sounds may be beguiling
and pretty as on the strings-inflected “The Quiet
Ambient, but there’s nothing all that much here to
keep you coming back time after time.