| Alter Echo | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 March 2020 | |||
| Recorded | August 2019 – January 2020 | |||
| Studio | The Color Mill Studio (Copenhagen, Denmark) | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock progressive rock | |||
| Length | 46:16 | |||
| Label | Sony Music | |||
| Producer | Tim Christensen | |||
| Dizzy Mizz Lizzy chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Alter Echo | ||||
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Alter Echo is the fourth studio album by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. It was released on 20 March 2020 by Sony Music. [1] [2] [3]
Following the band's 2014 reunion, their third studio album Forward in Reverse in 2016 marked their first original material released in nearly 20 years. The shift from the band's more grunge-oriented music from the 1990s towards hard rock was well-received by both critics and fans, [4] and helped Dizzy Mizz Lizzy regain their position as Denmark's most popular rock band. [5]
After touring Forward in Reverse, the band started to work on new material in the studio in the second half of 2017, [4] and expected to release an album in 2018. [6] However, the band decided to take extra time out to meet their high production quality standard. In 2018 and 2019, they continued to occasionally play shows, also trying out new songs they were working on, such as "In the Blood" and "California Rain". Album recording began in August 2019 in the privately owned Color Mill Studio. It marks the first album entirely self-produced by Tim Christensen. [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Gaffa |   [8] |
| Jyllands-Posten | [9] |
Alter Echo was ultimately released on 20 March 2020 to favorable reviews. The album was lauded with the GAFFA Award for "Danish rock album of the year", while it garnered Christensen his first award for "Songwriter of the year". [10] The album's name was inspired by TC Electronic's Alter Ego echo pedal, the meaning of which refers to an altered or alternative sound, particularly marking the band's transition in sound. [7]
Because the album hit the market in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band had to postpone their "Arena Tour" several times, playing only several smaller shows in between. The tour ultimately commenced April 2022, with the shows being widely praised. [11] [12]
Stylistically, Alter Echo continues in a similar heavier vein as Forward in Reverse, with GAFFA describing the songs as "their slowest, longest and also heaviest to date", due to their metal and progressive influences. [8] At the same time, in addition to the instruments of the power trio, orchestral and ambient arrangements play an increasingly dominant role.
All lyrics are written by Tim Christensen and Marcus Winther-John; all music is composed by Tim Christensen.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Ricochet" | 2:42 |
| 2. | "In the Blood" | 5:44 |
| 3. | "Boy Doom" | 5:38 |
| 4. | "The Middle" | 5:38 |
| 5. | "California Rain" | 3:46 |
| Total length: | 23:18 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Amelia Part 1: Nothing They Do They Do for You" | 4:11 |
| 2. | "Amelia Part 2: The Path of Least Existence" | 5:06 |
| 3. | "Amelia Part 3: Lights Out" | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Amelia Part 4: All Saints Are Sinners" | 4:31 |
| 5. | "Amelia Part 5: Alter Echo" | 4:47 |
| Total length: | 22:42 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Madness" | 3:52 |
An instrumental version of the album, Alter Echo Instrumental, with remixed and newly mastered instrumentals of all tracks, was exclusively released on vinyl on 12 February 2021, initially to a limited run of 600 copies, but later receiving a second pressing due to high demand. The cover art is a near-inverted version of the album's visuals.
"California Rain" and "In the Blood" were released as singles prior to the album's release. The song "The Middle" was released on 18 September 2020 as a single, including music video. By public demand, the five-piece suite "Amelia", totaling 23 minutes, was released as a single on 27 August 2021. [13] [14] The music video premiered on 1 September 2021 at the Odense International Film Festival. It was made as a short film to visually tell the conceptual story told in "Amelia", about a young woman seeking help from the wrong people to get her back on track in life, resulting in a slow descent into a fanatic cult. It was directed by Marc Louis Sutton and starring Angela Bundalovic. [15] It among other things won "Best rock music video" at the Euro Music Video Song Awards (February 2022) and "Best music video" at the 2022 San Francisco Indie Short Festival.
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [16] | 2 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) [17] | 35 |
Swan Lee was a Danish band featuring Pernille Rosendahl on vocals. It was formed in 1996 by Rosendahl with guitarist Jonas Struck, drummer Emil Jørgensen and keyboardist Tim Christensen, who was her boyfriend at the time. The name was taken from a Syd Barrett song.
Kashmir is a Danish alternative rock band consisting of Kasper Eistrup ; Mads Tunebjerg (bass); Asger Techau (drums) and Henrik Lindstrand.
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is an alternative rock band from Denmark formed in 1988. The power trio consists of Tim Christensen, Martin Nielsen and Søren Friis (drums). Between 1994 and 1997, they were highly successful in Denmark and Japan and are credited for heading the 1990s rock revival in Denmark with their studio albums Dizzy Mizz Lizzy (1994) and Rotator (1996). After the group disbanded in 1998, which Christensen started a successful solo career.
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is the eponymous debut album of the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, released in on 4 March 1994.
Tim Christensen is a Danish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is known both as the singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Danish alternative rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and as a solo artist. Since 2014, he has primarily focused on Dizzy Mizz Lizzy.
Sune Rose Wagner is a Danish songwriter, guitarist, and singer, best known for playing in the rock group The Raveonettes. In addition to his own bands, Wagner has produced, recorded, and mixed albums by acts such as Dum Dum Girls, Crocodiles, and Louise Burns.
Secrets on Parade is the debut solo album by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, released on 5 October 2000 on CD and vinyl. It is considered the transitional work between the music he made with Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and his solo music. Before its release, Christensen described the album as: "a rock album with material that is more timeless rather than time-typical [as was the case with Dizzy Mizz Lizzy] with room for solid rock, a glittery edge, and some ballads." The vinyl edition of the album was re-released through the record label Parlophone on April 19, 2014.
Honeyburst is the second studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, released on 1 September 2003 on CD and vinyl. The vinyl edition of the album was re-released through the record label Parlophone on April 19, 2014.
Superior is the third studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, released on 24 November 2008 on CD, limited edition Digipak CD/DVD which includes a 30-minute making-of, and a double vinyl box set which also includes the CD and DVD, as well as an outsize poster.
Rotator is the second studio album released by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. After touring the album, the band broke up, making this their last studio album released until Forward in Reverse in 2016.
The Best of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is a greatest hits album released by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy in 2002. The first disc contains tracks from the band's two studio albums Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and Rotator, the second disc holds a live registration of a concert held in Aarhus on 11 May 1996. After its release, it immediately reached gold status.
Dizzcography is a box set released in 2010, containing all previously released material by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. The name is a portmanteau of "Dizzy" and "discography". The CD version is collected in a black printed cardboard box as four Digipak CDs and a 40-page booklet. The box set was also released in a limited press on 8 double-sided vinyl records, which was a major driver of creating this box set because the albums had not been released on vinyl previously. The box set contains four albums:
Live in Concert 2010 is the second live album by the Danish power rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. Recorded at the K.B. Hallen on 16–17 April 2010, it documents the band's finale of their 2010 reunion tour. Performing at this venue has a special connotation to the band members, who grew up nearby and saw concerts of their musical heroes growing up. The original building was destroyed by a fire 1.5 years later. The album was released on 8 November 2010 as 2CD/DVD and 2CD/Blu-ray. In Japan, it was released on 27 April on King Records. and includes a sticker sheet and liner notes by Masa Ito.
Live at Abbey Road Studios 2004 is a live 2CD and limited edition DVD/2CD and vinyl record by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, released in 2004. It is the first officially released live solo recording of Christensen. The DVD appeared only in limited numbers and is now a rare item.
Tim Christensen and The Damn Crystals is the fourth studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, and the eponymous first album of the formation Tim Christensen and The Damn Crystals. The album was released on 25 November 2011 on CD and as music download. The vinyl release was delayed to 20 December 2011 due to printing issues affecting quality. A Japanese bonus edition was released on 23 May 2012.
Pure McCartney is a live DVD/CD and DVD/2-LP album by singer-songwriters Tim Christensen, Mike Viola, and Tracy Bonham, with the band The Damn Crystals, released in 2013.
Side Effects is an EP by the Danish singer-songwriters Mads Langer and Tim Christensen, released on July 19, 2014 through RCA and Sony Music Denmark. The EP was awarded the "Danish rock album of the year", while the collaboration garnered the duo a GAFFA Award for "Danish rock band of the year".
The Storm is a Danish rock band formed in 2006 by Pernille Rosendahl and Johan Wohlert which are to date the only permanent members of the band.
Forward in Reverse is the third studio album by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, released on 13 April 2016 in Japan and on 29 April 2016 worldwide by Columbia Records. It is the band's first studio album with new material in 20 years.
Livegasm! is the third live album by the Danish power rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, released on 29 November 2017 in Japan, and on 8 December 2017 in Denmark on double vinyl and as digital album on Columbia Records. It instantly became the best sold vinyl record in Denmark in 2017.