Customer Reviews

End Is Beautiful

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every time I listen to a new Echolyn CD for the first time, I don't like it very much. That's because no Echolyn CD sounds like the one before it, or anything else they've done. They are a band that clearly feels an urgent need to move forward with their music, to continue evolving and progressing. In that sense, they are truly a progressive rock band, not "progressive rock" as a description of an entrenched style but "progressive" as a fully descriptive adjective. (Truth to tell, I wouldn't describe Echolyn as a progressive rock band for that very reason; instead I would probably call them an "adventurous and sophisticated rock band." But that's just semantics.)

However, unlike many other bands that are similarly progressive in that way, Echolyn has created and maintained a strong musical identity, something that comes through clearly and provides a continuity for their ever-changing musical adventures. No matter what else they're doing, there are always the constants - Chris Buzby's off-kilter keyboards that draw from jazz and modern classical more than they do rock 'n' roll, the aggressive harmonies in the equally rich, plummy voices of Ray Weston and Brett Kull, the unusually-layered arrangements and the knotty rhythmic twists that manage to surprise and provoke without disrupting the flow and groove of the music.

On The End is Beautiful, released this past August, it's no different - they've once again re-invented their sound while still managing to sound like Echolyn. I was originally tempted to describe their playing on this album as "deliberately sloppy," but repeated listens have made it clear that the composition and arrangement of these songs are too carefully worked out for "sloppy" to be in any way accurate. Building the songs around Paul Ramsey's drumming (and Paul has never sounded more powerful or rhythmically inventive) and recording the songs live in the studio, the focused and precise performances of their previous albums have been replaced with a loose, funky abandon that makes these deceptively complex songs just rock out. It's actually a bit of a honky-tonk effect (albeit with the country music mostly removed), evoking a haze of cigarettes and alcohol that goes well with the depressed, world-weary lyrics that are another radical departure for the band.

Echolyn has always, even on their darkest songs, managed to convey some measure of hope, but hope is largely absent from this collection. "It's depressing. There's no magic / Men die and never know," Weston sings on the album opener "Georgia Pine," and from there the regret and pessimism are pretty unrelenting. In amongst the horns and organ riffs of "Heavy Blue Miles" is the repeated refrain, "Love made me ill with lust," and the title track spins the tale of a bad relationship turned fatal, with Weston declaring, "Pain introduced us / I wanted someone I could hurt / I made her hate enough to kill / Doesn't make it right." Yep, this is one plaintively dark, cheerless album, at least lyrically.

Fortunately for me, I rarely pay attention to lyrics, and the bluesy, committed playing here just sounds better to me every time I dial up this album in my MP3 player. So, yeah, like always, I didn't really like The End Is Beautiful much when I listened to it the first time. But, like always, the first impression was deceptive. A definite candidate for favorite album of the year.

On occasion an artist creates something (book, movie, music, painting, etc.) that just clicks with you. This disc is like that. The musical talent and compositional skills heard on this disc are staggering.

The stomping groove of "Georgia Pine" is the perfect beginning. The jazz tinged "Heavy Blue Miles" is loaded with great vocals, horn playing and arrangements. More terrific arranging gives the grim ballad "Lovesick Morning" hope. "Make Me Sway" is another great rocking tune. "The End Is Beautiful" has a little bit of everything and the talents of the band really shine. The chorus is awesome! "So Ready" has a funky groove thing going on. The lyrics of "Arc Of Descent" are a bit depressing but the music is uplifting. The disc ends with the up-tempo "Misery, Not Memory"... another great tune.

This disc won't click with everyone but all music lovers should give it a listen.

I'm always more than a little suspicious when a reviewer says, "You have to listen to this cd a few times before you like it." It usually means that they needed time to convince themselves that they did not make a sub-par purchase, so watch out for those cd's as a general rule.

And yet, I think it's a testament to the complexity and multi-textured quality of Echolyn's unique brand of progressive music that each album DOES sound better every time you put it on. Personally, I've liked every Echolyn cd I ever heard on the first listen; their music always contains enough melodic hooks, tight musicianship, and thought-provoking lyrics to give you the first impression that the cd is pretty good. But subsequent spins reveal the genius and cleverness that only true masters can produce.

"The End Is Beautiful" continues the diverse catalog of published music that Echolyn has graced us with for almost 15 years. This time it's not the 1970's retro-prog of "As The World", or the Americana folk-prog of "Cowboy Poems Free" (still my favorite!), or the contemplative symphonic prog of "Mei". This most recent effort is darker, somewhat heavier, sometimes even "urban"-sounding, with a more raw "live in the studio" feel to it, confidently driven along by the up-front drumming of Paul Ramsey. Their caustic lyrics of abuse, regret, death and despair on this cd make the musings of the late Kevin Gilbert and Shaun Guerin sound almost cheerful!

But don't get the idea that this is dark prog like Anekdoten or Tool or the like. You can still count on the melancholy love songs (albeit with UNhappy endings!) sung beautifully by Brett Kull and Ray Weston. Some of the great vocal harmonies and major chord progressions that occur in the refrains sort of contradict the unkind lyrics they're singing. And Chris Buzby gives the darker subject matter some welcome light with his typically inventive keyboard touches that accompany his heavier use of Hammond organ throughout this cd. There's even some small brass band sounds that creep in on some of the tunes - cool and different!

I love the second-guessing refrain in "Heavy Blue Miles" ("It's O.K., I'm not O.K..."), the sweeter songs "Lovesick Morning" and "Arc of Descent", and the great instrumental sections of "Make Me Sway" and "Misery Not Memory".

This is a great rock album in the progressive genre - "progressive" both in the choice of instrumentation as well as in the way new ground is broken. It's time to admit that Echolyn's songwriting is clearly some of the best in the world today, and combined with their virtuosity, it sets them apart as one of the premier progressive rock bands around.

The end might be beautiful, but this part of the Echolyn journey is pretty awesome too.....Give it a spin.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 9/10; Performance = 9.5/10; Production = 9.5/10; CD length = 10/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 9.3 ("5 stars")

I hate to compare bands, but if you took Tool, Primus and Spock's Beard and Steely Dan, and tossed them in a blender, the result might sound something like this; Echolyn's style is very difficult to describe. This release is definitely heavier than most of their other material, and as noted in other reviews, the lyrics are certainly darker. The tunes have incredible hooks, though, and the virtuosity of the band is amazing. Anyone with an adventerous ear will get a great buzz from this one. Truly amazing.

To me, Echolyn's last two albums, "Cowboy Poems Free" and "Mei", are the best progressive rock albums since 1980 by anyone, anywhere. "The End Is Beautiful" isn't up to that standard, but it's still a fine album. The title cut, "Heavy Blue Miles", and "Georgia Pine" have already lodged in my head for days at a time. It rocks harder than any previous Echolyn album, though the lyrics are their most downbeat. After four months, I'm still not sure whether this is a very dark concept album. It goes from a war veteran just looking to get drunk ("Georgia Pine") to heartache ("Lovesick Morning"), toxic relationships ("The End Is Beautiful"), and finally suicide ("Arc of Descent" and "Misery, Not Memory"). Tom Hyatt, who didn't return when the band re-formed in the late 90s, is back now, and takes over most of Ray Weston's bass duties. Echolyn produced the album themselves, and the mix doesn't leave as much open space as William Barnes did on the last two albums. But it's not cluttered, and it rewards repeated listenings.

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)

One of the best albums from Echolyn, not as good as "Suffocating the Bloom", but close to their music edge of the nineties anyway...the unique- minor defect - is due to the fact that is a sort of solo album, mainly from Brett Kull , especially talking about the point of view of his composition... however the psichedelic tunes as well as the immediate avant gard pop songs (sometimes in the vein of "Mei" or also "Cowboy Poems free"), where the virtuosic features are not the main target, don't affect the good output of the album. I should say that's definitively their most original side, even though the whole album is more guitar oriented, by means of 13 short songs..well the lyrics are a little bit melancholy, obviously not sad, but quite reflective and intelligent too; as for all these reasons the present album can be recommended to the old fans and the new listener as well...for instance "Georgia pine" is a quite powerful tune, enriched with a remarkable guitar solo and a good "support" at the Hammond organ too...ok the piano is gentle but not so important within the composition, but nevermind! "Heavy blue miles" for example is a convincing episode along with its interesting changes in the mood or the various accelerated rhtymical patterns as well, without forgetting the chorus inside "The End is Beautiful", another interesting title track and the definitive "trademark" by Echolin...LONG LIVE ECHOLYN!!

From the opening track "Georgia Pine", with it's chorus of "I'm gonna get high as a Georgia Pine", you know you are in for something different from Echolyn. This is arguably the bands hardest rocking album, and the subject matter for the most part is dark and depressing. The lyrics feature character studies of people who are either trying to cope with the mess that their lives have become or people who have lost all hope altogether. This is certainly a departure from previous discs finding a band that appears to be in a completely different space on this CD. Thematically I find a lot of similarities to Ray Weston's solo album "This Is My Halo" from 2004. The songs on "End" are more fleshed out by the full band, but the two albums could almost be bookends for each other in many ways. Musically it is the rhythm section of drummer Paul Ramsy and returning bassist Tom Hyatt that really drive the whole of this album. It is arguably their finest performance with the band. The songwriting on this disc is simply outstanding. The partnership of Weston and Kull once again prove what a formidable duo that they are. Like "Cowboy Poems Free" the images and characterizations portrayed in these tracks are overtly real and at times downright creepy. The listener gets the feeling that at least some of this material is autobiographical in nature. Highlights for me include the opener "Georgia Pine", the title track "The End Is Beautiful" which is a graphic song about a relationship that ends in tragedy. "So Ready", again a departure for the band, where they use the act of sex as a rostrum for more than what may appear on the surface. The track has an almost funk vibe to it that is instantly infectious, and again very different from things they have done before. Brett Kull's "Arc Of Decent" about a man contemplating suicide in a Midwest hotel room is another winner. The album closer "Misery, Not Memory" may be the most depressing of all with lines like "I've eaten pills no one should swallow. Wound up naked on the floor. Used a gun that wasn't clean. Now I wonder......" Again the song paints a very graphic lyrical and musical portrait. I like this album a lot and I think some of the individual songs are as good as the band has ever done. Echolyn never play it safe and "End" is another example why they are one of the most important bands in America today.