Flower Kings Appreciation Thread

Dang it Infandous, I am behind the times.  My prog credibility is sinking 

Zuma, Echolyn has two lead singers   I know which one you mean, however.  I like both their voices, but I can see how the one (Ray), could grate.......he is a "shouty" singer with a deeper voice.  A shame that you don't like him, as the band is easily the best modern American prog band there is (at least, progressive prog band.........I love Glass Hammer, but they are retro prog through and through and do it really well......Echolyn actually tries to progress musically, and usually succeeds, while still staying focused on melody and songwriting).

zumacraig wrote: infandous wrote: Zuma, Echolyn has two lead singers   I know which one you mean, however.  I like both their voices, but I can see how the one (Ray), could grate.......he is a "shouty" singer with a deeper voice.  A shame that you don't like him, as the band is easily the best modern American prog band there is (at least, progressive prog band.........I love Glass Hammer, but they are retro prog through and through and do it really well......Echolyn actually tries to progress musically, and usually succeeds, while still staying focused on melody and songwriting). Okay, I revisited Echolyn and I'm gonna give them a serious try.  I'm going to start with their second album, Bloom something.  The stuff I sampled on youtube sounded really good instrumentally.  We'll see.  I've also been listening to that 3rd World Electric album.  I totally forgot about it.  Very fun.

Good to hear!  Suffocating the Bloom was the first one I got by them and I still enjoy it.  The tempos are ridiculously fast, almost to the point that it's a bit too much for me these days, but you gotta respect the musicianship (and the drummer, for keeping up with it all with flair and power).

Thanks for reminding me about 3rd World.......haven't listened to that since it came out.  Gotta break that one out again....

I've known about Echolyn for years…even before I was really into prog.  A friend of mine somehow was in the studio with them when they were recording the album with the shrunken heads.  He said they recorded a cover of GG's No God's A Man.  Not sure if that showed up anywhere.  

Now that's a CD I haven't spun for a very long time - Been trying to identify and spin all the CD's in my collection that I've bought and never touched. Mind you not got very far as I'm in the late summer landscape gardening season and also with the start of the football season I have not been listening to any that I've identified - except one - Unitopia - The Garden.....some good parts but not massively a hit on first spin!

infocat wrote: infandous wrote: Good to hear!  Suffocating the Bloom was the first one I got by them and I still enjoy it.  The tempos are ridiculously fast, almost to the point that it's a bit too much for me these days, but you gotta respect the musicianship (and the drummer, for keeping up with it all with flair and power). The drummer (Paul Ramsey) doesn't just "keep up" with the tempo, he and the bass player (Tom Hyatt) drive the fast tempos!!  One of the best rhythm sections ever.

Well, yeah, that's usually how it works.  I just find the relentless speed on Suffocating to be a bit much for my old ears these days, as impressive as it is.  Still a great album regardless.

infandous wrote: zumacraig wrote: I've known about Echolyn for years…even before I was really into prog.  A friend of mine somehow was in the studio with them when they were recording the album with the shrunken heads.  He said they recorded a cover of GG's No God's A Man.  Not sure if that showed up anywhere.   Anyway, I tried going digital for a while, but I just love liner notes etc. So I'll be buying the CDs too.  Glad to know they are on CD Baby. BTW, I recently listened to the live version of Truth from the DVD.  I think I like that version better than the studio.  It is astounding that they pulled that song off live.  There's so many changes!  Not to mention knocking out SDWA and Humanizzimo too!  I know they had some starts and stops, but still.  Incredible. Well, they had to completely re-records Hasse's vocals, as he had the flu that day.  Still, I agree it is really great on that DVD.  However, I saw them perform it (truly) live, and it was brilliant.  Also saw the complete SDWA a well, great stuff.  The best thing I ever saw them play though, was Garden Of Dreams, at my first ever FK's show, with Zoltan on drums (Rainmaker tour).  That was possibly the best live performance I've seen ever, by any band.

zumacraig wrote: So they over dubbed the vocals at a later session?  i just thought they did a hundred takes that day.  hell of a setlist.  so cool you heard all of stardust and GoD.  That must have been a killer show.  Wish they would release some of those shows.  Still hoping to see them before they get too old.  if they tour again, i may have to just splurge and fly to wherever they are playing.  incidentally, been listening to the first two yes albums with peter banks.  such great production and i love hearing chris's bass just right up in the mix.  playing high on the fret board.  banks was definitely more jazzy in places than i remember.

Yeah, that was my understanding.  They did do various takes at the performance, but they also did fix up work afterwords, the biggest thing being Hasse's vocals.  That's another reason it's not a true live performance.

As to releasing shows, I have about 20 or 30 that I got back in the days of the Plantation trading group.  Some really great stuff there........I suspect you can get a lot of those shows from other sources though, lie DIME maybe or similar.  Not really sure.

Roj wrote: I still only have the one album by Echolyn, Mei.  That surprises me as I think it's a great album, I just don't know why I've not gone on to get any more.  I've seen some rave reviews for the most recent two, what are your recommendations guys?  With yet another birthday upcoming soon I might just place one or two on the list....

Mei just might be my least favorite (though I've never heard the debut or Cowboy Poems Free.....have heard a couple tracks from both live though).

I would recommend the self titled ("windowpane") album from 2 years ago.  Probably my favorite.  However, The End Is Beautiful is fabulous, and for their earlier stuff either Suffocating the Bloom or As The World (an incredibly complex album put out by Sony originally..........you have to respect them for making such an incredibly noncommercial album as their major label debut......it would also be there last on a major label, and last album period for quite a few years).  The newest one is good, but I'm not sure it's a good place to dive into them, even with you already owning Mei.  Honestly, I need to give it more listens I think, as most people I know think it's their best.  To me, it isn't, but it is very good.

A flower?

Edited by DDPascalDD - September 04 2015 at 04:02