COWBOY POEMS FREE

After the Sony debacle that led to Echolyn splitting up, nobody knew if the band would reunite. For all they and the fans knew, Echolyn was no more. Shortly after the incident, Brett Kull, Ray Weston, and Paul Ramsey formed a semi-progressive rock band called Still. This was a glimmer of hope that maybe, one day, Echolyn would reunite. It was Christmas 1999, when Chris Buzby, who hadn't spoke to Brett Kull in months, wrote him a Christmas card. Buzby said in the card that he missed Brett and wanted to continue making music with him. Unbeknownst to Buzby, Kull, on the exact same day, was writing a Christmas card for Buzby. When they both received a letter from each other on the same day, they knew that that was a sign to meet again and write music. As they were writing the music that would eventually become 'Cowboy Poems Free,' they realized that this is still Echolyn. During the turn of the century, Echolyn reformed and released one of their best albums.

If I could describe 'Cowboy Poems Free' in two words, "Americana prog" would be it. As Ray Weston explains in a three-hour interview I watched, he felt that his own lyrics were too self-centered, and on 'Cowboy Poems Free,' he wanted to tell other people's stories. Particularly, the stories of people whom he has a personal relationship with. Consequently, 'Cowboy Poems Free' has a more refined, mature quality to it than previous Echolyn albums.

Chris Buzby has commented before that, listening back to their 90s albums, many songs from that period sound like they're trying to compact five songs into one. The song structures on 'Cowboy Poems Free' are tighter and more accessible. Despite the change in songwriting and lineup, this album is still undeniably Echolyn.

Echolyn formed?without Tom Hyatt?in the spring of 2000. Ray Weston assumed the bass player role on 'Cowboy Poems Free' (and the following album, 'mei') and new member Jordan Perlson (a Berklee College of Music graduate and former student of Chris Buzby) is featured throughout this album on drums and percussion, alongside Paul Ramsey. PerIson drums on tracks 3 ("Human Lottery"), 4 (Gray Flannel Suits), and 7 (American Vacation Tune). Paul Ramsey drums on the remaining tracks. It's strange to see Perlson as the replacement drummer for Paul Ramsey all these years later. Both Perlson and Ramsey's drumming are excellent on 'Cowboy Poems Free.'

Perlson's incorporation of percussion is evident from the first few seconds of the opening track, "Texas Dust." This song is about the dust bowl and the adversity that resulted from it. The guitar riff is interesting as the first three bars of the riff are in 7/8, but the last measure is in 4/4. The verses are soothing, which contrasts nicely with the heavy chorus. "Texas Dust" ends with guitar and keyboard soloing from Brett Kull and Chris Buzby, respectively.

Interspersed throughout the album are four "Poems." The first poem provides an atmospheric crescendo that bleeds into "Human Lottery." The lyrics describe the hardship of The Great Depression. The lyrics of "Gray Flannel Suits" vividly describes 50s American suburban life. The assembly line-like rhythm of the verses also captures the concept well. The chord progression of the chorus is atypical, yet brilliant. I like the sliding electric guitar and saxophone appearance on "Poem #2" which acts as a precursor to the beautiful "High As Pride." The magnificent melodies on this track and the chord progression make it one of my favorites on 'Cowboy Poems Free.'

The 11/4 riff at the beginning of "American Vacation Tune" (also known as AVT) seizes my attention immediately. Ray Weston narrates a poem, that I believe was penned by Brett's brother, Greg Kull, during the bridge of AVT. "Swingin' the Ax" is a song about prohibition, and is one my favorites. I love the heaviness and Brett Kull's slide guitar, augmenting the Americana element that permeates the whole album. The music then takes a depressing turn with "1729 Broadway." I believe this song was written about Ray Weston's grandfather. From what I remember from interviews, his grandfather worked at the Pennsylvania textile mills. He had to spend time away from his own family, and him and his family would exchange letters. This is one of two epistolary songs on 'Cowboy Poems Free,' the other being "Brittany." The chord progression of "1729 Broadway" is fraught with dread and melancholy. The climax at the end is extremely powerful and features an impressive Brett Kull guitar solo.

"Poem #3," like the second one, features saxophone. However, this time the melancholy of "1729 Broadway" has seeped into this interlude. "67 Degrees" is my least favorite song on 'Cowboy Poems Free,' though it's still a good song. The following track, "Brittany," I believe is one of the few Echolyn songs that was written by Chris Buzby. The lyrics of "Brittany" consists of letters that were sent to Buzby's uncle, who was shot dead in a foxhole during World War II at a young age. Brittany is the region in France where his body was buried. Jordan Perlson's world music influence permeates "Brittany." I like the vocal harmonies between Brett Kull and Ray Weston. Weston does his best Robert Plant impression during the bridge. Buzby's lyrics are beautiful, and I wish he was a more prominent lyricist in Echolyn.

"Poem #4" is the only Poem to feature vocals. I like the hand claps and darkness of this interlude. The lyrics reference the following track, "Too Late for Everything." This may be my favorite song on 'Cowboy Poems Free.' The song has a lullaby quality mainly due to the xylophone. The lyrics are incredibly grim as they describe life in the trenches during World War I. The thought of possibly not being able to see your loved ones ever again haunts the narrator of this song. His friends have died, and he calmly smokes the cigarettes of a dead soldier, fantasizing about his "home across the ocean."

In conclusion, 'Cowboy Poems Free' is a magnificent reunion album from Echolyn. Despite the turmoil they had faced as a band, they still managed to get together and create excellent music. If anything, this was just the beginning of a new chapter in the book of Echolyn.