THE END IS BEAUTIFUL

A few weeks ago I went to an Echolyn concert after watching their stunning DVD. Well, Echolyn blew me and the audience away, what a powerful sound and what a killer voice! On their new album "The end is beautiful" Echolyn has succeeded to capture the spirit 'on stage', what a dynamic and alternating sound and how elaborate the 8 compositions are (as the previous reviewers already pointed at).

1. Georgia pine (5.49) : A swinging rhythm and a powerful sound featuring raw vocals, evoking the early Kansas. The interplay is excellent, especially between the organ and rhythm- section. After a flashy synthesizer solo and a fiery electric guitar solo follows a break with emotional vocals and tender piano. Then heavy guitar-riffs, lush Hammond organ and again raw vocals. The music sound scaptivating and contains a lot of tension.

2. Heavy blue miles (6.48) : This composition is loaded with shifting moods and changes of accellaration, from slow with piano and fine vocals to fluent and bombastic with fiery electric guitar and floods of organ. Remarkable is the integration of brass (sax and trumpet), very distinctive are their organ-guitar interplay and the vocal hamronies (like Gentle Giant).

3. Lovesick morning (10.12) : A melancholical song (as you could expect from this title) with a slow rhythm, wailing vocals, several sound effects and trumpet play in the vein of Miles Davis. The build-up and final part are wonderful featuring a splendid solo on the lap-steel-guitar.

4. Make me sway (5:22) : Again lots of variation, from slow to mid-tempo and bombastic, all layered with lush Hammond organ, a fat guitar sound and powerful, inspired vocals. The pieces with sampled choir-Mellotron are awesome! The closing section contains a fine organ solo with propulsive drums and guitar riffs.

5. The end is beautiful (7:45) : The titletrack alternates between dreamy and fiery featuring great play on the slide-guitar and electric piano along nice vocal harmonies and strong interplay between organ and drums. The final part includes brass sounds and a fiery, very compelling guitar solo.

6. So ready (5:01) : This song starts with sounds-effects, then a lush and bombastic sound and a swinging rhtyhm featuring the distinctive Hohner D6 clavinet sound.

7. The arc of descent (Dancing in a motel just est of Lincoln) (5:46) : This track is mainly dreamy with melancholical vocals and tender piano, gradually the sound becomes more and more dramatic with dynamic interplay between drums and organ and howling electric guitar.

8. Misery, not memory (9:03) : The final composition is very alternating and loaded with heavy guitar-riffs, bombastic organ and powerful vocals. A strong part is with a swinging piano, often blended with the electric guitar. Remarkable are the 'ambient samples', the final part is again swinging featuring strong drums and inspired vocals, what an excellent and varied singer this man is!

During the years Echolyn has turned into an unique progrock band. With this album they have prooved that this USA band is on the level of other great bands like Spock's Beard.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!