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Echolyn - As the World CD (album) cover

AS THE WORLD

Echolyn

 

Symphonic Prog

3.96 | 339 ratings

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fuxi
Prog Reviewer
4 stars Echolyn are such a fresh and highly accomplished prog band - I can't believe I'd never heard of them until I discovered Prog Archives in the spring of 2006. Why haven't they stormed the charts? I suppose their group arrangements (weird, sudden tempo changes; elaborate pseudo-fugues etc.) are a little too heavy for most people. Possibly, their music is also too upbeat for most of today's rock listeners, who seem to prefer moody navel- gazing. But I guess true prog lovers won't be put off by a little musical complexity. In fact, you only need to play AS THE WORLD once or twice, to discover that there are a lot of catchy melodies hidden in there. Virtually all earlier reviews compare this band to Gentle Giant, but Echolyn's instrumentation is less extravagant (no sudden sax, vibraphone or recorder outbursts!) and, more importantly, the band can be just as 'pop' as Todd Rundgren's Utopia or Paul McCartney's Wings. One of the main reasons for Echolyn's poppiness is that they have a smooth-voiced, highly expressive lead vocalist, who sounds a lot like, well... whoever it was that took the lead vocal on 10CC's 'I'm not in love'! Come to think of it, why has no-one ever compared Echolyn to 10CC? Is that British act from the 1970s so hopelessly unfashionable, or is it totally unknown in the United States? Well, honestly, because of its theatricality, its melodramatic moments, its unabashed melodiousness and its operatic choruses (the most gorgeous harmony singing you could imagine!) AS THE WORLD strongly reminds me of such 10CC classics as THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK and HOW DARE YOU? (Make no mistake, this is meant to be a compliment. HOW DARE YOU, in particular, has long been a favourite of mine.) On top of all this, anyone who's ever played in a band will enjoy Echolyn's virtuosity. The guitar and piano arrangements, in particular, are outstanding. Production is crystal clear, and the drums sound glorious! At last, here's a new(ish) prog band which builds upon past styles but fashions something new and refreshing. I can't wait to check out some of the other Echolyn albums.

Rating: Very good; nearly excellent. Let's say three and a half stars.

fuxi | 4/5 |

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