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ECHOLYNEcholynSymphonic Prog4.04 | 569 ratings |
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![]() "Island" Beginning with a stark electric guitar, Echolyn guides the listener through fresh symphonic landscapes, with shifting rhythms and dynamic phrases seamlessly woven together. The closest comparison I could draw is "The Pinnacle" by Kansas, which is a feast of variations and musical textures that somehow remains consistent and purposeful. Over Tom Hyatt's sputtering bass line, Ray Weston's voice enters like an old friend, and the harmonic vocal bends are perfect. Each instrumental passage is a blending of lead instruments that complement one another, although Paul Ramsey sneaks a couple of well-executed drum solos in there. As always, Chris Buzby provides a colorful palette of keyboard sounds. As the piece winds down, Brett Kull's raspy yet gentle voice sings yet another remarkable melody that eventually leads to an uplifting climax. "Headright" More than anything, this song is a happy-sounding tune with handsome harmonies and a swift rhythm. Echolyn could take what is, on its face, a simple cheerful song and make it a stunning three minutes. And yet, despite that happiness, there is a nostalgia or lingering sadness hiding under it. At the risk of misinterpreting the poetic lyrics, "She's a spring that turns into a river, a single dandelion turning a dirt yard into a yellow sea" make me think of my daughter. I hope I don't leave her alone. "Locust to Bethlehem" Echolyn sinks into country and blues here. While the title sounds biblical, Locust and Bethlehem are cities in Pennsylvania, about two hundred and sixty miles apart, and the lyrics seem to describe a sense of misplaced homesickness, a romanticizing of the unpleasant perhaps. "Some Memorial" The grittiest song on the album, both in terms of the initial electric guitar and the lyrics, has quiet acoustic verses making observations on death. The melodies take sharp but appropriate twists, making use of Weston's range of emotion. This is, to me, a pessimistic or sarcastic take on William Cullen Bryant's "Thanatopsis." It feels like a thematic reversal of the uplifting, spiritual conclusion to As the World, although it specifically targets those who medicate themselves out of existence. The music ranges from hard symphonic rock to pared down mellowness. "Past Gravity" It might not be an Echolyn album without Kull and his fingerpicked acoustic guitar. Soon the band returns to bluesy countrified mellifluousness. The flatted fifth in the chorus is fantastic; it's amazing how a single note can add so much character. Buzby's piano interjections add an ethereal, mysterious charm, and Kull's guitar twang just sings. "When Sunday Spills" Driving through the bitter and repentant territory that was The End is Beautiful, Echolyn fuses mental angst, disease, domestic violence, drugs, alcohol, and resentment with an inspirational exhortation: "Don't give another day to this." The opening and ending of the track are simply harrowing: Audio of an actual domestic dispute (Weston's neighbors, I am told). Most disturbing is the woman's cry "I want to go to bed!" I wish I could say my wife and I have not had nights kind of like that, but I can't. Yet we love each other more than our shortcomings and frustrations, and the next morning is usually beautiful because we're trying really hard. Expect stunning melodies and harmonies, slick slide guitar, and gentle piano extensions. "Speaking in Lampblack" With distant vocals, the eerie beginning of "Speaking in Lampblack" is quite similar to Porcupine Tree. It deviates from that with the addition of strings and Buzby's delicate piano. There is a sadness and stark beauty here. This song surprises me each time though, because halfway through, it becomes something the Electric Light Orchestra might have done, with stirring strings, stunning falsetto, and striking melodies. "The Cardinal and I" I had initially thought this song would be a profound observation on religion, but the opening line says "I saw a cardinal and wanted it to change my life, but it's just a bird." So it's about a bird; how profound could it be? Quite, actually. The music that opens it is jarringly different from the rest of the album. The vocal passages are low key, but Weston's vocal interludes reach the pleading grandeur of his performance on "One Voice."
Epignosis |
5/5 |
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