|
|
Post Reply 
|
| Author |
 Share Topic Printable Version Delicious Digg Facebook Furl Google Boomarks Google Buzz MySpace Newsvine reddit StumbleUpon Translate Twitter Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks Topic Search  Topic Options
|
Negoba 
Prog Reviewer 
Joined: July 24 2008 Location: Big Muddy Online Status: Offline Posts: 4993 |
 Topic: Echolyn - where to start?Posted: January 23 2010 at 10:02 |
|
Well I've decided my next band to try is Echolyn. My favorite parts of Spock's Beard are the Gentle Giant influenced parts, and someone said I should try Echolyn. I actually downloaded some free stuff from their site, and it seems very mixed.
So knowing what I like (complexity, less poppy) where should I start?
|
|
|
Current Listening:
Heater valve kicking on. Snotty noses being blown. Griping. Maybe cookies coming out of the oven??? C is for cookie, and it is good enough for me. |
|
 |
|
|
Progarchives.com
Advertisement |
Sponsored links (registered users, log in to remove) |
|
|
|
|
ExittheLemming
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 19 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 6019 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 10:11 |
|
You could try Mei from 2002 which I rather enjoyed (it is however just the one 50 minute long piece)
There's plenty of variety and transitions from one section to the next and apart from the odd lapse into a very soggy love letter penned to Gentle Giant, it comes highly recommended. |
|
|
|
|
ghost_of_morphy
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 08 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 2498 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 10:12 |
|
SUFFOCATING THE BLOOM!!!!! (and every blossom)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Raff
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 29 2005 Online Status: Offline Posts: 19637 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 10:15 |
|
I only have one Echolyn album, As the World, which unfortunately left me somewhat underwhelmed. Not that it's not good - it is - but it does sound a bit too much like GG for comfort, though it is way longer than anything GG ever released.
|
|
|
|
|
Negoba
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 24 2008 Location: Big Muddy Online Status: Offline Posts: 4993 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 10:45 |
|
I actually have a live version of Mei, which isn't bad, but not good enough to make me want to go buy the studio version. I really like the song 21, so It may be Suffocating the Bloom. As the World was another possibility, but given Raff's opinion, I'll probably go with StB. Is it me or is "The End is Beautiful" just really sick?
|
|
|
Current Listening:
Heater valve kicking on. Snotty noses being blown. Griping. Maybe cookies coming out of the oven??? C is for cookie, and it is good enough for me. |
|
|
|
|
rushfan4
Special Collaborator 
Site Monitor Joined: May 22 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S. Online Status: Offline Posts: 43305 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 10:57 |
|
I downloaded StB and listened to it for the first time and thought that it was excellent. I don't know how well that translates over to your listening tastes, but for what it is worth I recommend it. I really like Cowboy Poems Free a lot too.
As an aside, if you haven't already, you might want to check out this Hourglass album Oblivious to the Obvious that I am currently listening to. It is quite awesome. It is a metal album with tons of epics and tons of time signature changes.
Edited by rushfan4 - January 23 2010 at 10:59 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
sleeper
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 09 2005 Location: Entropia Online Status: Offline Posts: 14501 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 17:40 |
|
I would have suggested Mei but the Jersey Tormato version that you've downloaded from their website is actually better than the studio version IMO.
|
|
|
Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
|
|
|
|
|
J-Man
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 07 2008 Location: Philadelphia,PA Online Status: Offline Posts: 7818 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 17:53 |
|
As The World is my personal favorite. Suffocating the Bloom and Mei are the two you should get after that.
 I also highly recommend getting Cowboy Poems Free and The End is Beautiful, but I don't think they're quite as essential. I don't have their first two albums yet. -Jeff |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Moatilliatta
Prog Reviewer
Joined: December 01 2005 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 3083 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 18:10 |
|
Mei is their best record by far. It's their most original, inspired and well-produced. Since you're apparently not interested, I don't know what else to tell you. I don't think any of their other records have much lasting power.
|
|
|
www.last.fm/user/ThisCenotaph
 
|
|
|
|
|
SaltyJon
Special Collaborator
Zeuhl RIO/Avant & Canterbury Teams Joined: February 08 2008 Location: Monterey, CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 28711 |
Posted: January 23 2010 at 18:14 |
I haven't heard the studio version, but I know Rob would say the opposite, he says the studio version is much better than the live version. Cowboy Poems Free is the only album I have (Other than Jersey Tomato) and I really enjoy it. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Todd
Special Collaborator
Rock Progressivo Italiano! Joined: December 19 2007 Location: California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2108 |
Posted: January 24 2010 at 14:22 |
|
I'm a big Echolyn fan--they were one of my first finds years go when I rediscovered prog after a hiatus. Every studio album of theirs is stylistically different. For me, they are all at least good, some excellent. I would rank and describe them thus:
1 - Cowboy Poems Free (sentimental choice, see above) - pop with some complexity
2 - Mei - epic track with lots of shifts and changes, nice composition
3 - The End Is Beautiful - Similar in style to number one above, but much darker thematically
4 - Suffocating the Bloom - excellent sophomore effort, light years ahead of the debut, this is probably the place to start for you given your tastes
5 - As the World - for me, this has some moments of greatness but too often feels forced
6 - When the Sweet Turns Sour - more a collection of unfinished tracks, etc, some of which are quite good
7 - Echolyn - debut is derivative, nice but nothing more
The box set A Little Nonsense is a great collection, containing the debut, When the Sweet Turns Sour, and quite a few live tracks, rerecorded early songs, and outtakes.
|
|
|
"A good album should always be much more about questions than answers." Bill Bruford
My Gnosis Ratings |
|
|
|
|
rushfan4
Special Collaborator
Site Monitor Joined: May 22 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S. Online Status: Offline Posts: 43305 |
Posted: January 25 2010 at 13:06 |
|
A Little Nonsense is available for a really reasonable price on Amazon and iTunes, I believe. You get 32 songs for $8.99. (iTunes is $9.99, I believe)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Negoba
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 24 2008 Location: Big Muddy Online Status: Offline Posts: 4993 |
Posted: January 25 2010 at 13:44 |
|
I listened to the Jersey Tomato Mei again and it's growing on me. I got it early in my coming to this site, eating up as much free prog as I could find. There's a lot of good stuff on there. Suffocating the Bloom will probably be my purchase.
|
|
|
Current Listening:
Heater valve kicking on. Snotty noses being blown. Griping. Maybe cookies coming out of the oven??? C is for cookie, and it is good enough for me. |
|
|
|
|
MovingPictures07
Prog Reviewer
Joined: January 09 2008 Location: Beasty Heart Online Status: Offline Posts: 32181 |
Posted: January 25 2010 at 13:46 |
|
You can't go wrong with most of their albums, really. I have a hard time telling you which one would be good as a starting point... Suffocating the Bloom should be fine.
After many listens and growing room though, my favorite is probably The End Is Beautiful. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Eclectic Prog Team Joined: December 30 2007 Location: Raeford, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 30754 |
Posted: January 25 2010 at 13:57 |
|
Mei is my favorite, and it is fuller sounding than the live version. Wondrous composition and in my top five progressive rock albums of all time.
Cowboy Poems Free is a brilliant blend of progressive rock and pop sensibilities with a marvelous serious of music portraits of hardships in 20th century America (ranging from wars, the great depression, the dust bowl, and even prohibition). The End is Beautiful is loaded with excellent music and very dark themes (addiction, broken relationships, and- believe it or not- a song about suicide in a peppy major key). Suffocating the Bloom is an album that I did not like initially, but it grew on me and still continues to do so. It contains several memorable hooks and varied yet somewhat linked compositions. The other albums are good, but not as awesome as these in my opinion. Echolyn is probably my fourth favorite band. I was singing excepts from "Mei" out loud in the grocery store this morning. |
|
|
|
|
Nightfly
Special Collaborator
Rock Progressivo Italiano Team Joined: August 01 2007 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3269 |
Posted: January 27 2010 at 12:21 |
|
A really great band! I have everything by them and find much to enjoy on all their albums but I'd leave the debut until last. As The World and Mei are great places to start.
|
|
|
|
|
Negoba
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 24 2008 Location: Big Muddy Online Status: Offline Posts: 4993 |
Posted: January 27 2010 at 12:38 |
|
Maybe I need to look into Mei again. I haven't made my purchase yet.
|
|
|
Current Listening:
Heater valve kicking on. Snotty noses being blown. Griping. Maybe cookies coming out of the oven??? C is for cookie, and it is good enough for me. |
|
|
|
|
Todd
Special Collaborator
Rock Progressivo Italiano! Joined: December 19 2007 Location: California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2108 |
Posted: January 27 2010 at 12:45 |
|
If you don't mind downloads and have access to eMusic, several of their albums (As the World, Cowboy Poems Free, and The End Is Beautiful if my memory is correct) are available for cheap. That's how I found Echolyn years ago--just stumbled upon "Texas Dust" from Cowboy Poems--and the rest is history.
|
|
|
"A good album should always be much more about questions than answers." Bill Bruford
My Gnosis Ratings |
|
|
|
|
Garion81
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 22 2004 Location: So Cal, USA Online Status: Offline Posts: 4325 |
Posted: January 27 2010 at 14:03 |
|
The remastered Cowboy Poems Free is really good. If you look through this tread everyone has a different favorite which is testament to their diversity. But I will tell you what I did not appreciate these guys fully until I saw them live two years ago. They are an amazing live act.
|
|
"What are you going to do when that damn thing rusts?" |
|
|
|
|
Post Reply
|
| Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |
Echolyn - where to start?