Search - Echolyn :: End Is Beautiful

A truly PROGRESSIVE rock CD

Brian Zino | New Jersey, United States | 11/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Every time I listen to a new Echolyn CD for the first time, I don't like it very much. That's because no Echolyn CD sounds like the one before it, or anything else they've done. They are a band that clearly feels an urgent need to move forward with their music, to continue evolving and progressing. In that sense, they are truly a progressive rock band, not "progressive rock" as a description of an entrenched style but "progressive" as a fully descriptive adjective. (Truth to tell, I wouldn't describe Echolyn as a progressive rock band for that very reason; instead I would probably call them an "adventurous and sophisticated rock band." But that's just semantics.)



However, unlike many other bands that are similarly progressive in that way, Echolyn has created and maintained a strong musical identity, something that comes through clearly and provides a continuity for their ever-changing musical adventures. No matter what else they're doing, there are always the constants - Chris Buzby's off-kilter keyboards that draw from jazz and modern classical more than they do rock 'n' roll, the aggressive harmonies in the equally rich, plummy voices of Ray Weston and Brett Kull, the unusually-layered arrangements and the knotty rhythmic twists that manage to surprise and provoke without disrupting the flow and groove of the music.



On The End is Beautiful, released this past August, it's no different - they've once again re-invented their sound while still managing to sound like Echolyn. I was originally tempted to describe their playing on this album as "deliberately sloppy," but repeated listens have made it clear that the composition and arrangement of these songs are too carefully worked out for "sloppy" to be in any way accurate. Building the songs around Paul Ramsey's drumming (and Paul has never sounded more powerful or rhythmically inventive) and recording the songs live in the studio, the focused and precise performances of their previous albums have been replaced with a loose, funky abandon that makes these deceptively complex songs just rock out. It's actually a bit of a honky-tonk effect (albeit with the country music mostly removed), evoking a haze of cigarettes and alcohol that goes well with the depressed, world-weary lyrics that are another radical departure for the band.



Echolyn has always, even on their darkest songs, managed to convey some measure of hope, but hope is largely absent from this collection. "It's depressing. There's no magic / Men die and never know," Weston sings on the album opener "Georgia Pine," and from there the regret and pessimism are pretty unrelenting. In amongst the horns and organ riffs of "Heavy Blue Miles" is the repeated refrain, "Love made me ill with lust," and the title track spins the tale of a bad relationship turned fatal, with Weston declaring, "Pain introduced us / I wanted someone I could hurt / I made her hate enough to kill / Doesn't make it right." Yep, this is one plaintively dark, cheerless album, at least lyrically.



Fortunately for me, I rarely pay attention to lyrics, and the bluesy, committed playing here just sounds better to me every time I dial up this album in my MP3 player. So, yeah, like always, I didn't really like The End Is Beautiful much when I listened to it the first time. But, like always, the first impression was deceptive. A definite candidate for favorite album of the year."

Inspiring

WillieB | 02/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On occasion an artist creates something (book, movie, music, painting, etc.) that just clicks with you. This disc is like that. The musical talent and compositional skills heard on this disc are staggering.



The stomping groove of "Georgia Pine" is the perfect beginning. The jazz tinged "Heavy Blue Miles" is loaded with great vocals, horn playing and arrangements. More terrific arranging gives the grim ballad "Lovesick Morning" hope. "Make Me Sway" is another great rocking tune. "The End Is Beautiful" has a little bit of everything and the talents of the band really shine. The chorus is awesome! "So Ready" has a funky groove thing going on. The lyrics of "Arc Of Descent" are a bit depressing but the music is uplifting. The disc ends with the up-tempo "Misery, Not Memory"... another great tune.



This disc won't click with everyone but all music lovers should give it a listen.

"

This is the band that's forging to the front of the prog wor

Squire Jaco | Buffalo, NY USA | 12/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm always more than a little suspicious when a reviewer says, "You have to listen to this cd a few times before you like it." It usually means that they needed time to convince themselves that they did not make a sub-par purchase, so watch out for those cd's as a general rule.



And yet, I think it's a testament to the complexity and multi-textured quality of Echolyn's unique brand of progressive music that each album DOES sound better every time you put it on. Personally, I've liked every Echolyn cd I ever heard on the first listen; their music always contains enough melodic hooks, tight musicianship, and thought-provoking lyrics to give you the first impression that the cd is pretty good. But subsequent spins reveal the genius and cleverness that only true masters can produce.



"The End Is Beautiful" continues the diverse catalog of published music that Echolyn has graced us with for almost 15 years. This time it's not the 1970's retro-prog of "As The World", or the Americana folk-prog of "Cowboy Poems Free" (still my favorite!), or the contemplative symphonic prog of "Mei". This most recent effort is darker, somewhat heavier, sometimes even "urban"-sounding, with a more raw "live in the studio" feel to it, confidently driven along by the up-front drumming of Paul Ramsey. Their caustic lyrics of abuse, regret, death and despair on this cd make the musings of the late Kevin Gilbert and Shaun Guerin sound almost cheerful!



But don't get the idea that this is dark prog like Anekdoten or Tool or the like. You can still count on the melancholy love songs (albeit with UNhappy endings!) sung beautifully by Brett Kull and Ray Weston. Some of the great vocal harmonies and major chord progressions that occur in the refrains sort of contradict the unkind lyrics they're singing. And Chris Buzby gives the darker subject matter some welcome light with his typically inventive keyboard touches that accompany his heavier use of Hammond organ throughout this cd. There's even some small brass band sounds that creep in on some of the tunes - cool and different!



I love the second-guessing refrain in "Heavy Blue Miles" ("It's O.K., I'm not O.K..."), the sweeter songs "Lovesick Morning" and "Arc of Descent", and the great instrumental sections of "Make Me Sway" and "Misery Not Memory".



This is a great rock album in the progressive genre - "progressive" both in the choice of instrumentation as well as in the way new ground is broken. It's time to admit that Echolyn's songwriting is clearly some of the best in the world today, and combined with their virtuosity, it sets them apart as one of the premier progressive rock bands around.



The end might be beautiful, but this part of the Echolyn journey is pretty awesome too.....Give it a spin.



I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:

Music quality = 9/10; Performance = 9.5/10; Production = 9.5/10; CD length = 10/10.

Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 9.3 ("5 stars")

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