MEI

'Mei' is the sixth studio album by Echolyn, released in 2002. 'Mei' is one, fifty-minute composition that features a chamber orchestra. This is Echolyn at their most ambitious and inaccessible. 'Mei' consists of 14 musical sections: i. Hope, ii. Absence, iii. Interlude: Abandoned, iv. Open Road, v. All That's Golden, vi. Whispers, vii. Pride, Part I, viii. Pride, Part II, ix. Infernal Scratch, x. Hope Renewed, xi. Shadows, xii. Love Remains, xiii. Recovery Overture, and xiv. Bound for Home. Conceptually, I interpret 'Mei' being about Adam & Eve and their journey through Purgatory together, or at least that's how I view it. After they separate themselves from God and die, they are reincarnated in different places, but continually find themselves coming back to each other. They try to end it all by committing suicide together by overdosing on heroin in a shooting gallery. There is a perpetual cycle of reincarnation, finding each other in misery, and suicide. Fortunately, there is a happy ending. The spirits of Adam & Eve are saved from sin by God's grace and live together in harmony. I view the concept of 'Mei' to be similar to the concept of the movie Groundhogs Day.

Like the previous album, 'Cowboy Poems Free,' Tom Hyatt doesn't play bass on 'Mei' as he wasn't an official member of the band yet. Instead, Ray Weston plays bass. Consequently, the basslines are simplified compared to the basslines found on 'Suffocating the Bloom' or 'As the World.' The method of songwriting that Echolyn explored on 'Cowboy Poems Free' (tighter, more accessible songs) are completely disregarded on 'Mei.' In fact, the album that followed 'Mei,' 'The End is Beautiful,' feels like a more logical album to follow 'Cowboy Poems Free' than 'Mei' because it sounds like traditional Echolyn. I'm glad that Echolyn experimented with this new method of songwriting. However, this is not a style that Echolyn excel at, in my opinion.

The first couple minutes of 'Mei' clearly indicate that musically, this is no ordinary Echolyn album. Eric Huber plays vibraphone and lays down a foundation for the chamber orchestra to play over. Cascading flutes and strings create a pastoral sound. Chris Buzby's piano and Brett Kull's relaxed vocals enter. The chord progression has a lounge jazz quality. Once the hammond organ enters, the music crescendos, reminding the listener that this is still the Echolyn we know and love. Ray Weston enters during this section with his raspy vocals, perfectly contrasting Brett's vocals that was heard previously.

At the 12-minute mark, the music intensifies and Ray Weston does a yodel-like vocal. There is also a strong Gentle Giant influence during this section that harks back to 'As the World.' Chris Buzby's Fender Rhodes melody played during the 16-minute mark might as well be an homage to "Proclamation."

I like the jazzy chorus played around the 26-minute mark and the backing vocals. Shortly after this, the music crescendos once again, allowing Ray Weston to shine. His growls add a roughness to 'Mei' that I love, and this particular section is the heaviest section when Weston screams "no more wishing you away." The aftermath returns to the pastoral beginnings of 'Mei.' From this point onward, themes from the first half of 'Mei' are revisited as the song reaches its conclusion.

In conclusion, I can appreciate 'Mei' for its ambition but, by the end of the piece, I find myself more exhausted than rewarded. 'Mei' pales in comparison to nearly every other Echolyn album, and is one that I don't return to too often. Many other prog bands and artists have attempted to write a 40+ minute epic, but most of the time, it doesn't entirely work for me. 'Mei' is no exception. In addition, there aren't any particular moments for me that stand out. In other words, the piece is somewhat stagnant, not necessarily in terms of dynamics, but in terms of quality. Fans and the band themselves tend to speak quite highly of 'Mei,' but it's not a favorite of mine.