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Echolyn - I Heard You Listening CD (album) cover

I HEARD YOU LISTENING

Echolyn

Symphonic Prog


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5 stars Echolyn can be a difficult band for a newbie, for several reasons. One is that even some of our most articulate critics don't realize that, whenever a piece of art has skill and sincerity behind it, no truly legit critique can occur without analyzing the special resonance between the beholder and the beholden. We have critics here who just rage against what they think is self-evidently WRONG with a certain band, or less offensively, others who just worship certain bands and artists like their most incredibly favorite superhero - sweet and silly, the latter, and neither side helps an interested and intelligent listener understand what to expect if they buy it. Another issue with echolyn is that they are, to my ears, as free of cliches, or of genre tropes and customs, as any "prog" band - even when you can hear that they marinated in Gentle Giant when younger, or hit Steely-Dan-nish and Wilco shades here and there, at no point do they actually sound ANYTHING like those bands; though they are truly SYMPHONIC in the structure, sonic diversity, and compositional development of a majority of songs, no one could seriously say they are unconsciously channeling any of the 70's prog zeitgeist - they don't belong in any genre in quite the same way that GG, Genesis, Yes, Crimson, ELP and Tull, as different as they were, were also obviously products of the same particular historical movement; The Flower Kings (whom I love, knowing that Brett Kull doesn't so much) revive that old vibe in, to my ears, a delightful and creative way, cross-pollinating that 70s movement with so many other flavors. But the FK make no effort to be sui generic. This is my way of saying that echolyn are the most unique of all the bands who, classified as "progressive", at their best strove to make unique music every time, but could never - as so few ever could - avoid being representative of a genre. echolyn's harmonic choices, their composition of extended, dissonant and ear-surprising chord progressions within otherwise user-friendly rock tunes, the sense that a melody or a coda is REACHING for something transcendent the way a classical composer might do within a requiem or elegy, the way a lyrical idea will be declared, repeated and then insinuate itself like a ghost later in the tune, the way a neat groove will be turned inside out so as to be both familiar and vaguely upsetting at the same time, the resistance to going all cosmic or cryptic in order to suggest profundity, while dropping truly literate and suggestive insights into relatable songs, but with twists that make you rewind to be sure you heard it right.......and then the sheer, prog-lovers' beloved COMPLEXITY of structure within sometimes deceptively straightforward tunes......these echolyn qualities, as I hear and describe them, make this one of the most NUTRITIOUS AND TASTY bands out there; but being so at the same time that they are so thoroughly unlike any other band I've heard means that they need to be heard liberated from comfortable reference points - they aren't sufficiently "like" anyone else to reassure the potential buyer that "if you like (.......), you really like echolyn. I say that, exemplified by this new, long-awaited, brilliant "I Heard You Listening", if you cherish new musical experiences, and the "sound of surprise" though not in the guise of jazz, and you are not easily intimidated, then you should do the responsibe thing and buy this album, while making a promise to listen to it closely several time before you try to declare a serious opinion about it (you are allowed to like it right away - but you won't "get" it without doing some work to match the remarkable depth of work that the band put in.
Report this review (#1441658)
Posted Friday, July 17, 2015 | Review Permalink
5 stars Where to start with a review of 'I Heard You Listening' ("Listening") the new album by echolyn? I will begin with how important I hoped this album would be for me. I took the day off from work on Friday, July 17th waiting for the digital download code as I had preordered the album on July 1st. At about 3pm (EDT) I received the email from Brett Kull and downloaded the 24/96 high resolution version (yes, I am a music nerd according to Brett in the email).

Now what to say about the music? Listening is undeniably the echolyn sound but subtlety different from the albums that proceeded it. It has graceful vocal harmonies, the beautiful quite passages counterpointed by more energetic parts that is the echolyn sound. It is easy to spot parts that remind me of the 2012 'Echolyn', 'The End Is Beautiful' or even 'mei' but with a fresh approach.

Listening is not simply a regurgitation of the past but a maturing and an evolution of their sound. Listening has parts with more of a hard edge with great guitar riffs and in others softer parts than I have heard since 'As The World' back in 1995. I hope a reader realizes how difficult it is for me to describe what I feel is a modern masterpiece. I always felt 'mei' would be the apex of echolyn but Listening may have surpassed it. It is a tragedy echolyn is not one of the biggest acts in progressive or all of music.

This album clearly really represents a labor of love for musicians who do it for the love of music meeting as they did every Thursday night for almost three years to produce this album. I will only mention one tract on the album, the tenth track which is only available for those who preordered the CD. It is not the most memorable and is the shortest at a little over three minutes and really does not fit the sound of the album but "Love, Why Weren't You Missed" was to my ears recorded as a very private thank you from echolyn to its fans.

Anyone who loves Yes, Genesis, Frost* or Spock's Beard, to name a few, owes it to themselves to give 'I Heard You Listening' a listen :-) because these five men from Pennsylvania just get right and with this album they have definitely done it again.

Report this review (#1442885)
Posted Monday, July 20, 2015 | Review Permalink
BrufordFreak
COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars ECHOLYN I Heard You Listening

"Messenger of All's Right" (6:23) opens with a brilliant use of space and pace with no over-the top melodies or incongruous changes. At least for the first three minutes. Guitar solo at 3:00 sucks. The quiet gap of whispered vocal after is also odd but okay. Another odd guitar solo--very odd choice of guitar sound--almost like Dave Gregory's (XTC, Big Big Train). "--there is one who'll pull me out" ?!?!?!? WTF?! (8/10)

2. "Warjazz" (5:16) sounds like an Echolyn attempt at heavier rock. Again, the choices of guitar sounds are not at all to my liking. Odd lyrical message. Nice coda at the end of the third minute leading into a nice section of harmonized vocals. This is followed by an abrasive section of guitar and screeching voice before the song pauses and winds up for the closing minute. (6/10)

3. "Empyrean Views" (9:18) starts out sounding so familiar Echolyn--like a total rehashing of the music from their last album's "Past Gravity." The switch at 3:13 tries to move away from this, but then they get into their older, early STEELY DAN "Country-Jazz" sound. This is acceptable, sometimes enjoyable, thought the choral shout "calls for a destination" is odd and completely lost on me, lyrical deaf-mute that I am. The dreamy waltz arpeggios at 6:40 are engaging, but then just as soon they are gone. A decent Jeff Baxter-Like guitar solo fills the eighth minute before synths take over and start a friendly duel with the guitarist. This could definitely be an early DOOBIE BROTHERS or STEELY DAN song! (8/10)

4. "Different Ways" (7:47) opens like an attempt at a YES song (Drama/90120) before settling into a true STEELY DAN sound. ("Any Major Dude" comes to mind.) The chorus returns to the YES "Changes"-sounding form. Really odd bridge at 3:20 leads into heavy section before things quiet down and Fagen sing-talks one of his signature stories. A little early AMBROSIA sound is recognizable in this one as the song gets into its final third. (7/10)

5. "Carried Home" (5:10) opens with a gorgeous sound, like a classic hit song from the late 60s?from the CLASSICS IV ("Stormy"), THE BEATLES or even The Association. An awesome, aweome song. I love the female background vocals at 2:40 followed by a truly great electric guitar solo. The best singing I've ever heard from this band. Great AMERICA-like harmony at 3:25--which leads into a nice section of great lead and harmony vocals to the end. (9/10)

6. "Once I Get Mine" (5:40) plays like a song from the early 80s--like THE TUBES meet THE KNACK to play XTC. A complete throw away song for me. Even the jazz-rock section at 2:40 can't bring me back. (5/10)

7. "Sound of Bees" (6:57) is built over a nice weave of arpeggios--from guitar, piano, and bass--which are then intermittently added to by different instruments throughout the course of the song. The lyric or vocalist's melody line are not interesting enough to lure me in. Nice solo guitar work over organ from 3:10 on. (8/10)

8. "All This Time We're Given" (7:59) opens with a guitar sound going way back to the 50s or 60s over which a gorgeous CROSBY, STILLS & NASH like voice sings plaintively. Great shift at 1:42. I'm really loving this vocal! I might even try to go into the lyric to try to figure out what he's singing about! AT 3:10 there is a shift into more aggressive rock--very much in keeping with a late 60s CROSBY, STILLS & NASH song. It's working! Even the more aggressive singing voice and harmonies. AT 4:58 there's another shift into some very delicate solo electric guitar picking before the vocal and the rest of the band returns to rehash the A and B sections. I love the NEIL YOUNG-like stand-up piano solos in the seventh minute! Nice job! (8/10) 9. "Vanishing Sun" (7:32) opens with some distorted walking bass lines and raunchy electric guitar chord strums. Drums eventually establish a rhythm which the heavy bass settles into and then organ joins in. At the two minute mark an odd new song begins with a nondescript aggressive vocal performance scringing his way into a better chorus section. And swear words! "Kill me now!" he says. Now I can't help but hear some of the words: "Anger is the root," "...set the room ablaze," "What a wasted life," "What a lonely life." The band as a whole seems to try to express anger through their increasingly aggressive and loud instrumental play before settling into a DAVID BOWIE "Suffragette City" kind of jam to the end. (6/10)

These guys are obviously talented and knowledgable and intelligent but their music just never connects with me. I appreciate it and I play it--always giving it another chance, trying to figure out what I'm missing--but I leave it in dismay and never seek it out. Even my favorite song of theirs, "The End Is Beautiful" I rarely play. I try Cowboy Poems Free three or four times a year. No luck. Inconsistency and a little too much obscure quirk keep me at a distance. What impresses me most is their use of odd--very odd--chords--sometimes just one single chord--thrown into songs at the oddest of places--chords that feel as if they were saving from a tremendous wealth of collected chords from a tremendously deep knowledge and familiarity with the vast history of rock'n'roll and music in general. But, like an inside joke or a family's private language, I seem to be left on the outside. Maybe as "All This Time We're Given" and "Carried Home" make there rounds on my "new music" playlist I'll snap into it. It took me 35 years to "get" and fall head over heels in love with Gentle Giant. Maybe it'll be the same for Echolyn. Until then this is a three star album for me--3.5 at best.

Report this review (#1448335)
Posted Sunday, August 2, 2015 | Review Permalink
rdtprog
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Heavy, RPI, Symph, JR/F Canterbury Teams
3 stars The release of "Suffocating the Bloom" was a big event in my listening experience in 1992. I was discovering a rare American band with complicated music structures with three part vocals, but yet easy to get into. The influence of Gentle Giant was obvious and i didn't need more to become a follower of their music through the years. After their hiatus in the 90's, the band came back with "Cowboys Poems Free" that had a more direct rock approach. But with the album "Mei", the band was back with a more adventurous album with a 45 minutes epic. And now with this one, we have songs in the range of 5 to 9 minutes. This is not the most progressive release of the band, many songs are on the mellow side with the constant presence of vocals, which keep the songs enjoyable. "Different Days" is the typical Echolyn song of the past with some breaks, jazzy parts and that typical guitar style. The band continue to play with the intensity of the music that goes to the delicate to the more heavier parts. There is still a lot of piano on this CD. "Once I get Mine" is showing that Gentle Giant influence with the keyboards upfront and a nice break bass/guitar.I had felt in some long passages of that CD that there was not much going on to excite me, despite the beautiful vocals of Raymond Weston. Is this another band that over the years didn't connect with me as much as they did at the beginning? I don't think that the band did change, probably only me.
Report this review (#1448649)
Posted Monday, August 3, 2015 | Review Permalink
5 stars I've been listening to Echolyn for about 20 years now (yikes time sure flies!) and I've grown to love each one of their albums. Their latest album, "I Heard You Listening" will probably took some listens to get fully stuck in your mind, but boy if it will be worth it!

TL;DR: BUY IT!

Messenger of All's Right 8/10 A delicate piano part introduces Ray's vocals, powerful and emotional at the same time. I love the break at 3:23 and the effects in background. Very creative use of drumming here, too. All in all a very good start for the album.

Warjazz 9/10 Warjazz has a positive "Georgia Pine" vibe to it and it's probably the first song that will get stuck in your head. The chorus is as catchy as it can get and it's supported by some fantastic tom-heavy fills by Ramsey. There isn't a single thing I don't like about Warjazz. It's just a fantastic tune, and one I'll never get tired of. I love the playful break at 2:41. Did I already say that the chorus is fantastic?

Empyrean Views 10/10 Ok. Empyrean Views. Whatever you're doing right now, stop, sit down, disconnect the phone, turn up the volume and let yourself be surrounded by Echolyn at its finest. Backing vocals are truly fantastic and I love the lyrics. If there's a song that shows how mature Echolyn have gotten in their songwriting, is this one. The "Find your way" chorus is fantastic, but the apex of the song is when Ray's aggressive vocals come in at 4:27, perfectly complementing Brett's calmer phrases: goosebumps. The final solos (guitar and keyboards) are very inspired and not a note sounds out of place. Pure bliss.

Different Days 8/10 A rocking start settles at about 0:30 on a piano carpet. I prefer the verses to the chorus on this song. I especially like the backing vocals at 2:28. Surprise: I like the change of pace at 3:15, it really evolves the song in an interesting way and to some great drumming parts. I think Buzby's work (keys) is much more prominent on this album and I love it, and his piano parts in this song are really tasteful and spot on. A very solid song!

Carried Home 8/10 Carried Home starts off with some gentle vocals from Ray, underlined by the usual wonderful backing vocals Echolyn have been spoiling us with since 1991. I love the instrumental section at about 2:50. This is another song on which I prefer the verses to the chorus, but the whole song is of a very high level.

Once I Get Mine 8.5/10 Another very direct and aggressive song. The paradoxical fact is that I initially disregarded the song a bit. Took me a bit to get into it, and that's because it's a much more complex song than what the lyrics and the initial minute make you believe. Just listen to the drums... Or to the break at 2:38... How cool is that? Hey I told you it was a very direct song, then what the hell it's happening at 3:00? and then at 3:12?!?!? It's Echolyn happening, that's what. Ok so the "usual" choruses end the song at 4:30? No! We're in for some more shouting! And for another calmer part! And for a hard-rocking finish! Holy macaroni!

Sound of Bees N/A Ok now you might be wondering why I didn't rate this song. Well I consider Sound of Bees a transitional song, a bit like the Poems in the Cowboy Poems for Free were, but not in a dismissive way. It allows you to rest your ears a bit, while you listen to a great vocal performance by Ray Weston. It's a very personal song.

All This Time We're Given 9,5/10 A deeply rich and complex song, which start off relatively calm, with some very charming verses, which lead to the part at 2:43 "All This Time We're Given..." which reminded a bit of Echolyn's first album. The central part (4:02) features a very emotional guitar part, followed by the usual intense vocals from Ray. If the song ended now, it would be already a very good song. But then a voice shouts "I've got nowhere, nowhere to go!" and throws you into what's in my opinion the best 30 seconds Echolyn has ever recorded: Chris piano part is -melodically amazing- and the chorus is really, really as close to harmonic perfection as it gets. An incredible way to finish a fantastic song.

Vanishing Sun 9/10 Now, I confess making a mistake with this album: my first listens were done with crappy phone earphones, so crappy I could barely hear the bass... DON'T MAKE THAT MISTAKE: listen to this album with good speakers and/or earphones. I'm saying this now, because initially I couldn't get into this song, and I was wondering why. Well, after I could -finally- listen to it on a decent setup, it really made the difference. The beginning part of the song is interesting and "angry", with a nice vocal break at about 2:40. It's weird how your perception of a song changes after you've listened to it for a few times, and this song is probably the perfect example for it. Why? Well because at 4:46 it's like being thrown into a different room of a club, just to be finally pushed to the "best final chorus of any album ever" room. Really, are you ready? A great ending, to a great album.

Report this review (#1448663)
Posted Monday, August 3, 2015 | Review Permalink
5 stars Well, I wrote about 95 percent of a four-page treatise regarding echolyn's new album. I chipped away at the thing for almost two weeks. Then I hit a wall and for reasons unbeknownst couldn't eke out that last 5-ish percent. And then I got to thinking, "Who in hell would want to read four pages regarding approximately one hour of music and one boring additional paragraph about my history as a fan of theirs?" Who, really, other than my best girlfriend or perhaps my husband - and both of them under duress? (God bless them. :-)) But I didn't want to wait too long to put something out there - because I can't *not* let the world know my sentiments regarding this music and I can't *not* get that same world a little messy with my thoughts splattering all over it - and now is as good a time as any. So the following is something quite a bit more condensed that I feel at least scratches the surface, and hopefully without requiring the reader to overdose on caffeine or another stimulant of choice. ;-)

The new echolyn album, hooray! We've been waiting awhile for this one, luckily not as awhile as their last, but still long enough for the itch to be in serious need of scratching. Entitled "i heard you listening". "Whoa - very cool", I thought when I first read that title and saw a picture of the cover, serene and elegant. And where are those birds going? I went into it listening with of course insanely high expectations - this is MY FAVORITE BAND, after all. Since landing sure-fire in my lap in 2008, echolyn has never ceased to - I'll keep it simple - bring ridiculous joy in my life. In listening to this new one, I deliberately took it slo-o-o-ow and steady - wishing to savor - note by note, word by word, nuance by nuance. From the time of those early listenings until now (how many listens I couldn't begin to count), this album has firmly taken root in the garden that I keep, and it has blossomed. Aggressive, plaintive, fervent, tender, vulnerable, hopeful; the merging of brilliantly-crafted music with lyrics intensely honest and often brutally so. Such is the draw for me. Echolyn yet again brings to their music and ultimately to the listener a sensibility of point-blank, no-holds-barred humanness - they consistently hold up a mirror and have us find ourselves if we so choose. As for me, it's an effortless find.

And man - do they play what they play and sing what they sing like no one's business.

So yes - I am having quite a love affair with "i heard you listening". I think it's one of their best. Is it the words, the music, the blending of both? I am not certain. Some of that is surely a part, but I think mostly because it simply lands right where I am, right now. And that's what the best music should do for a soul, on any given day - or night. :-)

I'm immeasurably grateful to Chris, Ray, Tom, Paul, and Brett for letting me in to listen. Once again I hear you all loud and clear. And I thank you so much for that.

Report this review (#1450256)
Posted Friday, August 7, 2015 | Review Permalink
Wicket
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars And now we get to Echolyn's latest album, hailed as a gem from the prog faithful here.

And frankly, it's not what I expected. "Messenger Of All's Right" has a strong whiff of their self-titled album, a much tamer release compared to their back catalog, but the difference here is essentially the length and style. Rather then complicate it and write out checks the song can't catch, the beat always remains laid back, deciding to be predictable and therefore an enjoyable, relaxing listen, for a moment, anyway. "Warjazz" picks up the excitement a bit, but still remaining a bit muffled, while "Empyrean Views" once again sits back and just floats by in a hazy sea of "not really much to remember".

"Different Days" finally wakes up this whole album, and kicks me into a realization; this album is HEAVILY piano reliant. Honestly, there are songs I forget even have guitars playing. "Different Days" is a good song, but an exception to the rule. Most of the songs sound choked, muffled, repressed by the onslaught of piano and the lack of guitars. Yes, there are exceptions, "Different Days", "Once I Get Mine", and perhaps "Warjazz", but the rest of it is just muddled. Not even catchy melodies or verses can save these songs. It's a shift in a different direction that has been maintained since their self titled release in 2012, a shift I wish didn't happen.

Perhaps it's their shift in style, which makes sense, who really wants to play the same kind of music forever, especially in a prog band? But then again, if it ain't broke, why try to fix it? Or rather, change it? That's my thought on this album. The piano heavy texture just chokes the life and interest out of this album, there's not enough depth here as the songs just sound hollow and empty, the guitars are barely audible, and from a group of guys who can create hooks and melodies like no other, there just aren't any here. And frankly, that's all the best qualities these guys master that just aren't on display at all on this album.

Quite disappointing, really, considering the high praise.

Report this review (#1452766)
Posted Thursday, August 13, 2015 | Review Permalink
4 stars Just when I expected Echolyn to take a well deserved victory lap of live dates after their 2012 self-titled masterpiece they just...well...kept on writing and recording. Seven years in the making, that album hangs like a shadow over this new one which took a brisk three. I've been listening to the wonderfully recorded album in it's 24bit/96kHz version for months now and it's a beautiful album that really shows Echolyn really not caring to live up to it's prog-laden roots but just to writing great, interesting, heartfelt songs. This will hurt them in the accumulation of prog accolades but Echolyn are past that. What you get now is the amazing groove laid down by Paul Ramsey with his partner Tom falling right into place beside him, the more and more warm and tasty keyboard stylings of Chris Buzby and the dual lead vocalists Brett Kull and Ray Weston emoting gorgeously throughout.

The album is strong with a nice even keel of quality throughout. In light of the many tracks that came out separately after the 2012 album (only at Bandcamp) you get the impression that if those are "not good enough" for an album or even that they just didn't fit somewhere that the band have a really high threshold for what makes it onto an album-what's worth working on to completion and to commit to a collection of songs to be called an Echolyn album. So the meticulousness shown on I HEARD YOU LISTENING is well appreciated. The energy on "Warjazz" and the cool soul on the verses of "Carried Home" stand out the most for me as the rest of the album is just solid HIGH-standard issue Echolyn. All the pitch slide harmonies and other patented Echolynisms are there.

If you read the "making of" on their website or have heard interviews lately, it's inspiring how much they really love what they do and have such strong friendships that inform the music they make. The attention to detail make this album worth having in your collection and it's a welcome addition to their canon of music.

Report this review (#1456739)
Posted Thursday, August 27, 2015 | Review Permalink
Evolver
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams
4 stars Echolyn, to my ears, are the ultimate treasure of modern American prog rock. At this writing, it's been a full quarter century since their self titled debut. Each album is, in it's own way a gem. Using deeply layered arrangements of surprisingly retro sounding instruments, they have perfected their own style of progressive, in a genre too often accused of borrowing too heavily from forbearers (although what genre of music does not do that?)

"I Heard You Listening" is yet another in an unbroken string of perfectly crafted Echolyn albums. For most of the disc, the tracks alternate between their more romantic side, similar to the songs on their first two albums, and their harder-edged ballsier side, perfected on the album Sony mishandled so long ago, "As The World".

But it's the poetry of the lyrics that bring the tracks together. Say what you will, but both Ray Weston and Brett Kull both have a decidedly sophisticated way of writing lyrics that are sometimes liltingly beautiful, sometimes dark and gritty, but always poetically beautiful. And musically, the depth of the instrumentation, even in the rare moments where they are playing relatively simple passages, are always the perfect backing to the words.

The tracks that stand out to me are:

"Warjazz", with violent imagery and heavy music all around.

"Carried Home", a song that sound deceptively light, but drew me in more and more each time I played it.

"Once I Get Mine", another raucous track that I can't get out of my head.

And "Vanishing Son", a song from the point of view of a protagonist in despair, to the point of suicide, that somehow ends in an out chorus of almost pure exuberance.

I absolutely love the album, but not quite as much as "Mei" and "The End Is Beautiful", so I'll rate it 4.5 out of five, rounding down to 4.

Report this review (#1527749)
Posted Wednesday, February 10, 2016 | Review Permalink
Windhawk
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars US band ECHOLYN was formed back in 1989, and in the early part of the 1990's they became the brightest shining light in the US prog scene when they were signed by one of the major labels. While that label eventually lost faith in the band, that have never been an issue with their fans, and they are still one of the most highly regarded bands in the US progressive rock scene. "I Heard You Listening" is their most recent studio album, and was self-released by the band in 2015.

If awards and ratings were to be decided on the sheer potential commercial scope of an album, "I Heard You Listening" would be among the very rare albums I'd describe as just about perfect. For my particular taste in music it's merely a strong album. I will add to that that there's something of a timeless feel to this album that makes me suspect I'll say the same 20 years from now, which isn't always the case with an album that manage to draw my interest. Other than that, I'd say that by and large this is an album that should have a broad appeal in progressive rock circles: If you like this kind of music in general, this is a CD that merits an inspection.

Report this review (#1772335)
Posted Friday, August 18, 2017 | Review Permalink
4 stars Hard to describe this band, Prog Archives has it categorized under the Symphonic sub genre, however I incline myself more towards the eclectic side of prog, this is also their last studio effort, and quite a spectacular one. The beautiful and catchy Messenger of All's Right opens the album in a melodic, dramatic and operatic way, showcasing a variety of vocal ranges from Weston as well as the importance of pianos and rhythmic section in this band, the drivers of everything that happens. The lyrics are so realistic in a figurative way, so smart and memorable, a very unique way of storytelling that works perfectly and is an attribute for Echolyn. "When the sun doesn't shine for days When there's a slave behind my eyes When the usual isn't enough And the voices rage until I hate again There is one who would pull me out". Chapeau

Warjazz!!! The fastest and catchiest song from the track list, a perfect 2nd track for an album, after the catchy melodies let's hit play, elevate the tempo a little bit and play some cool nutty jazz-like progressive rock! It's definitely a highlight and that type of song that defies what the band is really like, a powerful and incredibly talented group of musicians that have that Gentle Giant strong influence but know how to mix it with modern textures and song structure, and the result is pretty impressive!

Empyrean Views reminds me of a poppier version of Phish, bluesy and melodic, with various vocal harmonies and mood changes, but somehow always making sense, or not? This is serious musical quality, where all the madness goes in the middle and both ends of the equation get the more balanced & memorable moments of the song, and the instrumentation is fantastic, all of it.

Different Days gets the tempo up again in a more laid back jazzy way than Warjazz and a little more complex than the latter. I love the guitar tune, it sounds like 70's in a funny and funky way, very cool. The rhythmic section does an outstanding performance here making sure all instruments have solid ground to do their stuff. "I'm buried in a cycle that I notice in my brain The repeating seems unstoppable, even when I change I forget everything I remember- in denial, I am denied My head feels like swarming and checking off boxes for days and days and days"

Carried Home is more on the Crossover side of Prog than the rest of the album with a mix of young adult radio station melodies and the awkward change of mood and melodies that characterize this group of favored musicians. Very cool and different song.

Once I get Mine explores the heavy rock influences of the band, alla early Deep Purple but with their own twist, both in tempo and musical changes. Funky, fast, eclectic, hence perfect and definitely one of my favorites from the album (sometimes I think I'm hearing Lord battling with Holmes from QOTSA, crazy I guess)

Sound of Bees returns the mellow and more melancholic vibe to the listen, little bit sad but bright at the same time, dreamy and atmospheric. The pianos are fantastic, as well as the vocals, guitar licks and lyrics. There's a little Radiohead-like feeling in the background of the verses, so catchy that I think its the whole reason I got captivated at first listen, the perfectly balanced chaos!

All This Time We are Given. A more Neo Prog kind of tune, at least until the most beautiful melody of the entire album kicks in: "All this time we're given with nothing left to show, all this space to live in with nowhere else to go". Heavy riffs unexpectedly make their way to lead the last quarter of the song before everything goes back to the pre chorus, the confession before the brightness, with that beautiful piano and guitar licks again! The classic song that resumes everything heard throughout the album, ending in an epic way and leaving the listener wanting more, and TG there's more.

Vanishing Sun as the album vanishes, and it had to be like this, dark, raw and hard rocking, thus never leaving the same musical concept of everything that came before, an amazing closer to the experience. The bass lines are so powerful, the guitar playing so upfront, the angry vocals and the tight drumming! And the Keys, and that undefinable ending, pop-progressive rock at its best.

Report this review (#2598249)
Posted Friday, October 1, 2021 | Review Permalink
5 stars Ever since the release of 'The End Is Beautiful' in 2005, Echolyn have been consistently releasing masterpiece after masterpiece with each of their albums. 2015s 'I Heard You Listening' is no exception. Personally, I believe that the band peaked on their 2012 self-titled album. I would be shocked if the band could surpass the greatness of that album. 'I Heard You Listening' is a logical album to follow their second eponymous album, as it demonstrates the band's mature songwriting and arranging skills as heard on the previous album. 'I Heard You Listening' may be the darkest and most atmospheric Echolyn album, lyrically and musically speaking.

'I Heard You Listening' opens with "Messenger of All's Right," which is a sombre opener. The lyrics describe the healing powers music can have when one is going through a difficult time. I've been delivered by a messenger, and that messenger is Echolyn. The following track, "Warjazz," is one of the more traditional-sounding Echolyn tracks on 'I Heard You Listening.' The band based this song from a musical idea that used the whole tone scale. In certain contexts, such a scale can sound strange and dissonant, but "Warjazz" makes it feel incredibly natural, especially in a rock context. When I first heard "Warjazz," I thought the circus-like bridge felt disjointed in the context of the rest of the song. After having heard "Warjazz" countless times, I no longer hold that opinion.The lyrics are about a soldier suffering from PTSD. Despite the violent subject matter, "Warjazz" is very catchy. I get a strong sense while listening to "Warjazz" that the boys in Echolyn were having a lot of fun during the recording process of this song in particular.

The main musical idea of "Empyrean Views" was written by Chris Buzby. "Empyrean Views" is one of Echolyn's most non-Echolyn sounding pieces, especially the beginning and end sections, which remind me of something I would hear on 'Aja' by Steely Dan. There's an element of smooth jazz that permeates "Empyrean Views," until it reaches the "it calls for a destination" lyric. Brett Kull plays a tasty guitar solo towards the end. Despite being the longest tune on 'I Heard You Listening' with a duration of 9 minutes, "Empyrean Views" is fairly mellow throughout, and I don't mean that as a critique. The following track, "Different Days," is far more dynamic. This may be my favorite song on 'I Heard You Listening.' I love the intense power of the interplay between Brett Kull's distorted guitar and Chris Buzby's dense Hammond organ during the refrain. I also love the juxtaposition between the refrain and the playful verses, as well as the jazzy bridge. Buzby's piano playing during the bridge is absolutely gorgeous. It evokes memories of Christmas in me.

I like Jacque Varsalona's backing vocals on "Carried Home." The lyrics and melodies on this song are beautiful. The rage felt on "Once I Get Mine" is tangible and harks back to the heaviness explored on 'The End Is Beautiful.' The line, "your biggest day, it isn't mine" is hilarious to me. The structure of "Once I Get Mine" is atypical, as the chorus appears once towards the end of the song. The following track, "Sound of Bees," is a perfect foil to "Once I Get Mine." I can hear a slight Radiohead influence, especially in Brett Kull's guitar arpeggios, reminding me of subdued songs like "Nude" or "How to Disappear Completely." The overt lyrics of "Sound of Bees" are heartbreaking, and the music reflects that feeling brilliantly. The crescendo towards the end of the track is the emotional peak of 'I Heard You Listening.'

The lyrics to "All This Time We're Given" are dismal until the very end, where a hint of optimism shines through. The progression of the lyrics is captured well in the music. The mood of the song shifts from melancholic sensitivity to angry rockiness and finally, beautiful acceptance of the inevitable. The harmony vocals at the end are exquisite. It's the moment you wait for and is a major highlight of 'I Heard You Listening.' The closing track, "Vanishing Sun," ends the album with a bang, albeit rather depressingly. I adore Tom Hyatt's distorted bass tone on this song. The ending of "Vanishing Sun" during the "all he ever wanted was to disappear" lyric contains similarly impeccable vocal harmonies like the previous track, as well as handclaps.

In conclusion, 'I Heard You Listening' is yet another Echolyn masterpiece. It is evident that Echolyn can do no wrong and I have high expectations for their next album.

Report this review (#2983318)
Posted Tuesday, January 16, 2024 | Review Permalink

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