TIME SILENT RADIO II

Echolyn's new album pair, Time Silent Radio vii & II, is a magnificent work of art. In particular, the two epics that fill TSR II, "Time Has No Place" and "Water in Our Hands," are mind-bendingly good.

The new songs feel less aggressive than 2002's Mei or 2005's The End Is Beautiful, leaning instead toward the broader sonic range of 2012's eponymous double and 2015's I Heard You Listening -- while, in this listener's opinion, also tapping into the grand ambition and versatility that informed such earlier works as 1995's classic As the World. Yet mere comparison to past work is unfair, because what's on offer here is not derivative but rather fresh and inspired. And the overall sound itself is gorgeous.

Even after more than 30 intermittent years together, the wizards of Echolyn are creating some of their most passionate, intricate, and enjoyable music right now with this melodic masterpiece.