I HEARD YOU LISTENING

Ever since the release of 'The End Is Beautiful' in 2005, Echolyn have been consistently releasing masterpiece after masterpiece with each of their albums. 2015s 'I Heard You Listening' is no exception. Personally, I believe that the band peaked on their 2012 self-titled album. I would be shocked if the band could surpass the greatness of that album. 'I Heard You Listening' is a logical album to follow their second eponymous album, as it demonstrates the band's mature songwriting and arranging skills as heard on the previous album. 'I Heard You Listening' may be the darkest and most atmospheric Echolyn album, lyrically and musically speaking.

'I Heard You Listening' opens with "Messenger of All's Right," which is a sombre opener. The lyrics describe the healing powers music can have when one is going through a difficult time. I've been delivered by a messenger, and that messenger is Echolyn. The following track, "Warjazz," is one of the more traditional-sounding Echolyn tracks on 'I Heard You Listening.' The band based this song from a musical idea that used the whole tone scale. In certain contexts, such a scale can sound strange and dissonant, but "Warjazz" makes it feel incredibly natural, especially in a rock context. When I first heard "Warjazz," I thought the circus-like bridge felt disjointed in the context of the rest of the song. After having heard "Warjazz" countless times, I no longer hold that opinion.The lyrics are about a soldier suffering from PTSD. Despite the violent subject matter, "Warjazz" is very catchy. I get a strong sense while listening to "Warjazz" that the boys in Echolyn were having a lot of fun during the recording process of this song in particular.

The main musical idea of "Empyrean Views" was written by Chris Buzby. "Empyrean Views" is one of Echolyn's most non-Echolyn sounding pieces, especially the beginning and end sections, which remind me of something I would hear on 'Aja' by Steely Dan. There's an element of smooth jazz that permeates "Empyrean Views," until it reaches the "it calls for a destination" lyric. Brett Kull plays a tasty guitar solo towards the end. Despite being the longest tune on 'I Heard You Listening' with a duration of 9 minutes, "Empyrean Views" is fairly mellow throughout, and I don't mean that as a critique. The following track, "Different Days," is far more dynamic. This may be my favorite song on 'I Heard You Listening.' I love the intense power of the interplay between Brett Kull's distorted guitar and Chris Buzby's dense Hammond organ during the refrain. I also love the juxtaposition between the refrain and the playful verses, as well as the jazzy bridge. Buzby's piano playing during the bridge is absolutely gorgeous. It evokes memories of Christmas in me.

I like Jacque Varsalona's backing vocals on "Carried Home." The lyrics and melodies on this song are beautiful. The rage felt on "Once I Get Mine" is tangible and harks back to the heaviness explored on 'The End Is Beautiful.' The line, "your biggest day, it isn't mine" is hilarious to me. The structure of "Once I Get Mine" is atypical, as the chorus appears once towards the end of the song. The following track, "Sound of Bees," is a perfect foil to "Once I Get Mine." I can hear a slight Radiohead influence, especially in Brett Kull's guitar arpeggios, reminding me of subdued songs like "Nude" or "How to Disappear Completely." The overt lyrics of "Sound of Bees" are heartbreaking, and the music reflects that feeling brilliantly. The crescendo towards the end of the track is the emotional peak of 'I Heard You Listening.'

The lyrics to "All This Time We're Given" are dismal until the very end, where a hint of optimism shines through. The progression of the lyrics is captured well in the music. The mood of the song shifts from melancholic sensitivity to angry rockiness and finally, beautiful acceptance of the inevitable. The harmony vocals at the end are exquisite. It's the moment you wait for and is a major highlight of 'I Heard You Listening.' The closing track, "Vanishing Sun," ends the album with a bang, albeit rather depressingly. I adore Tom Hyatt's distorted bass tone on this song. The ending of "Vanishing Sun" during the "all he ever wanted was to disappear" lyric contains similarly impeccable vocal harmonies like the previous track, as well as handclaps.

In conclusion, 'I Heard You Listening' is yet another Echolyn masterpiece. It is evident that Echolyn can do no wrong and I have high expectations for their next album.