AS THE WORLD

The first Anglagard album was great. Spock's Beard had a couple quality albums back then. Porcupine Tree was starting to tap the zeitgeist. After a run of awful singers Genesis discovers Ray Wilson (the best singer in prog since Boz Burrell) and releases "Calling All Stations", their best album since their landmark debut.

In retrospect, there was a lot of good stuff around in the 90s.

But this album beats them all.

Here's the boilerplate stuff: -this is Echolyn's 3rd album. It is possibly their best, although their lyrics and sound would improve after their reformation in 2000, if you like their more jumpy, contrapuntal 90s stuff, this is the zenith of that sound. -This was their major label album. It sounds lush as all get-out. There are three songs with strings, if memory serves. It sounds great. Unfortunately the major label would screw the band over and lead to them going on a 5 year hiatus after the release of the record. -As complex as the record is, it is quite catchy. You can see the seeds of the band's future in songs like "One for the Show", "Never the Same", etc.

Never heard Echolyn before? They are an American band (much like Grand Funk Railroad, in that respect). They have two lead singers, both of whom are unique and great. They have a lot of 3 part harmonies. Their music is a tight amalgamation of influences. Due to their complexity and the fact that most of their songs are short people compare them to Gentle Giant, which is fine, I guess.

The album seems to have a couple overarching themes (which it shares with all their 90s work): individuality, personal responsibility, how awesome the band is, etc. (As a sidenote, they are kind of like a rap crew in that they thought they were awesome and wanted to set it to music. If they were the Wu Tang Clan, "The Cheese Stands Alone" would be their "Da Mystery of Chessboxin", "A Little Nonsense" would be their "C.R.E.A.M.", "Here I Am" would be their "METHOD Man", "How Long I Have Waited" is their "Bring Da Ruckus" and "As the World" would be their "Daytona 500", even down to the a capella introduction.)

"All Ways the Same" is a gorgeous strings and vocals introduction which leads into the title track, which rocks hard and has some fiendishly complex harmonies. I can't believe this song was financed by a major label. This song is killer live.

"Uncle" is a weird little song. It's long for Echolyn--about 7 minutes if memory serves. It's a narrative about a bullied child and his mother extracting revenge for him. The opening bassline has a great sound. Major label dollars at work again.

"How Long I Have Waited" is jazzy and breezy. In a strange parallel universe in which Steely Dan are as revered as the Beatles, this song moved major units.

"Best Regards" is a warped little pop song with great piano. It's about writing a letter to your future self. The harmonies in the chorus are great. Very, very tight.

"The Cheese Stands Alone" is the ballad of a band called Echolyn. Great vocals. Keyboard solo sounds better live with Buzby's new gear than it does here. So it goes. The second half of the song is incredible. The payoff vocal line is one of Weston's best moments.

And now on to side 2 (I think of this as a record with three sides)

Prose is a brief little piano and drums piece which leads into "A Short Essay", the first of a cycle of songs which appear to be a meditation on decision making, death, judgment, and responsibility through a Christian-ish lens. The wordless chorus is great. Once Echolyn matured after their reformation they started doing less three part harmonies. (They are still there, but they are mixed more naturally instead of being front and center) I love their new sound, but Lord do I miss those sunny three part harmonies.

One strong point of "As the World", besides every single song being awesome from beginning to end, is that the band was developing a sense of taste and didn't get goofy as much. Well, "My Dear Wormwood" is delightfully strange. In terms of songs based on CS Lewis books, this makes Narnia by Steve Hackett and the Guy From Kansas look like "I think It's Going to Rain Today". It's circus music combined with ersatz death metal and its the best.

"Entry 11-19-93" might be the band's best song. In many ways this prefigures their later work--simpler arrangement, better lyrics. I don't know if the lyrics of this song were truly found in a diary of a relative who had finished their days at a nursing home. I surely hope not because that would be a depressing way to go. The song is carried by strings and gorgeous harmonies. "I sit by the window tied to this chair / they've turned off my set / it's quiet time". Powerful stuff.

The song segues seamlessly into "One for the Show", an earnest take on the idea of individual judgment and the self knowledge that comes with it. Brett Kull does a nice job singing this one.

Side Three: The Wiblet is a 45 second long instrumental. Piano and percussion stand out. It is fiendishly complex. All bands on the Cuneiform label should re-write all of their songs to make them exactly 45 seconds.

Audio Verite alternates dense and not-so-dense sections. The bridge is incredible. Blasts of three part harmonies over a ferocious bassline and dirty organ.

"Settled Land" is quiet then loud then quiet. The quiet parts are lush and evocative. Kind of like one or two of the songs that weren't terrible on "We Can't Dance" by Genesis. The loud part features a "Horton Hears a Who" reference and a Stephen King one too for good measure.

"A Habit Worth Forming" is a guitar solo within a love song. Both parts are quite good. Ray Weston's vocals are the highlight

"Never the Same" is the swansong of 90s Echolyn. It is about death, but from a much sunnier place than their later works on the subject. It's got strings! It's got a singalong chorus! It's got a rambunctious bridge! It has a fade out! (Your major label dollars at work). Great song.

This is an incredible piece of work. Highly recommended.

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