The Quiet Abyss: Unpacking the Raw Resonance of "Echo" by Amber Jade Smith

You can picture a moment years from now with Amber Jade Smith at home on her couch taking notes or writing, watching TV without distraction. It's like a metaphor for her experiences with songwriting because at that point in her life (specifically, before "Echo"), she wasn’t in Momentum Studios yet. Instead, she was in the middle of a tremendously successful year and had just begun to write again.

For a time, she was very apprehensive about going back to songwriting, considering the year she had just lived through. The pain of writing her new songs was real for her. Instead of having a mentor support her as she got back into writing, all she had were friends who were familiar with the industry and supported her. This gave Amber the courage to take a chance on herself and write her newest song, "Echo," without holding back or trying to make it a perfect product.

The first drop of a needle (on a record) sounds different than before; it creates a different "mood". The drum sounds are so large that they almost sound like they are an inevitability. The sound of the wood hitting the floor and the reverb from the drums creates a soundscape that resembles a hallway you mistakenly walked down. As the track progresses, you hear a recorder come in halfway through; it is thin and airy like your voice in the cold air. You hear guitars that aren't necessarily sparkling but hovering above the rest of the instruments with an almost ghostly sound. The guitars are manipulated using an E-bow, which creates that strange "dusty" feeling of nostalgia. Even the bass guitar sounds different; it's a bass that's been distorted into a baritone guitar. The bass pushes against your ribs like you're wearing a weight vest.

Amber's vocals come in; she is uncertain at first, and once she establishes confidence, she pulls back again. You can feel that she is pulling back in the line when she is uncertain about how to deliver it—like she's scared to say it too clearly—only to lean back into the delivery again. The song's question is asked repeatedly in different ways: What if I love with all my heart and nothing is returned? What if I continue to give of myself and the place I am in continues to remain silent? Ashes. Static. That low hum of 2am when you are deciding whether to let everything go or to keep fighting.

There is a clear void and silence of desolation; the longing and adversity is presented in an unexpected manner. The pain of the strings has no resolution, but rather just appears at the end of the piece. the song, “Echo” creates scenes that evoke Movie but are not recognized for Movie — but being used it under an image in A scene — while simultaneously being heard beneath the sound of your breathing.

A note was left from a person who attended the Launch Show: You remain Untouchable and Unstoppable. Anonymous, of course — all is unwritten: None should know. This is not an opportunity for one to be viewed as a Star. This is an opportunity to transmit Awareness. And we are all participants in the Journey towards the Next opportunity regardless of our preparedness.