Keith Morrison is a 24 year old from the Remote Isle Of Lewis of the Western Coast of Scotland. He is a master of many musical instruments, and technologies involved within. This is a review of the album Echoes: Echoes FROM 'experimental' techno, to cheesy pop music, thrash metal, underlying Celtic influences and a tribute to late great inspirations, Keith Morrison has to have one of the broadest appreciations of music in existence and his interpretation is infused with his infectious sense of humour. Explaining that new album 'Echoes' is named for the unstoppable flood of inspiration continually echoing around his head, first track 'New' suddenly bursts into life out of the speakers. After the disceptively quiet intro, the track whips up the energy levels with tubular bells influenced pianos and distorted guitar - one of the only elements that's not created by Keith's fancy fingerwork on the keyboards. And then comes something completely different – 'That Star' is a yearning acoustic ballad and Keith manages to sound like an entirely different person with his crisp vocals. His vocals keep on improving with the smooth title track 'Echoes,' a layered textured track that shows off Keith's brilliant mixing skills as well as his musical talent. But while the first three tracks show promise, it's once 'Song About Nothing' appears that 'Echoes' truly comes into its own. A full-on rock ballad influenced by the Darkness and which Keith proudly admits had him pulling "epic rock god poses," the lyrics are some of the strongest to appear on the entire album. What follows might be mistaken for an interlude, but instrumental 'Sasha' is an emotional gem, marked as Keith's favourite track. And then the dramatic genre swings really kick in. Assigning random guitar noises to the keys on his keyboard and then playing drums over his creation, "Experimental Keith" jumps into the ring with techno influenced 'Anyone can play guitar' a track that, while is not as re-listenable as the other offerings, is disturbingly catchy and very creative. One of the many highlights however has to be cheesy pop anthem 'Thrash Metal' that halfway through kicks into a bruising electronic metal roar. And it is a very enjoyable experience listening to 'Thrash Metal,' a wild, hectic and frenzied track that begins very tongue-in-cheek. It's beautifully and surreally followed by 'Tory Island' a more expected instrumental celtic tune inspired by Face the West's trip to Tory Island in Northern Island, a rock half the size of Taransay that won Keith's heart and led to an early morning ceilidh in its streets. And then comes another undeniable gem. While containing some truly beautiful, thoughtful tracks, 'Echoes' also offers content guaranteed to crease you up with laughter – 'Old Man Drunk' being the prime example. Anyone who has been in a local pub on a Friday or Saturday night will recognise the description of the old regular who occasionally attempts to commandeer the band's equipment. Indeed you may even be that regular! 'Fairdewell' is a gentle comedown that proved a little too slow for Face the West but holds a flavour of what the popular island band can provide. The emotional highlight however has to be 'Martyn Bennett' – dedicated to the Celtic musician who died of cancer in 2005. As could be predicted it's a gentle blend of Celtic music and dance influences – though restrained to create a ballad. Finishing off 'Echoes' is 'One Direction,' a chronicle of the pain caused by selfish people. The suppressed power of the vocals and the strained desperation of percussion (surely it cannot be done on a keyboard?) build to leave you on a dramatic crescendo that means the album will definitely echo around your head for days to come. www.keithmorrison.co.uk