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Customer Reviews of The End Is Beautiful

Echolyn - Dark And Depressing But Another Winner
From the opening track "Georgia Pine", with it's chorus of "I'm gonna get high as a Georgia Pine", you know you are in for something different from Echolyn. This is arguably the bands hardest rocking album, and the subject matter for the most part is dark and depressing. The lyrics feature character studies of people who are either trying to cope with the mess that their lives have become or people who have lost all hope altogether. This is certainly a departure from previous discs finding a band that appears to be in a completely different space on this CD. Thematically I find a lot of similarities to Ray Weston's solo album "This Is My Halo" from 2004. The songs on "End" are more fleshed out by the full band, but the two albums could almost be bookends for each other in many ways. Musically it is the rhythm section of drummer Paul Ramsy and returning bassist Tom Hyatt that really drive the whole of this album. It is arguably their finest performance with the band. The songwriting on this disc is simply outstanding. The partnership of Weston and Kull once again prove what a formidable duo that they are. Like "Cowboy Poems Free" the images and characterizations portrayed in these tracks are overtly real and at times downright creepy. The listener gets the feeling that at least some of this material is autobiographical in nature. Highlights for me include the opener "Georgia Pine", the title track "The End Is Beautiful" which is a graphic song about a relationship that ends in tragedy. "So Ready", again a departure for the band, where they use the act of sex as a rostrum for more than what may appear on the surface. The track has an almost funk vibe to it that is instantly infectious, and again very different from things they have done before. Brett Kull's "Arc Of Decent" about a man contemplating suicide in a Midwest hotel room is another winner. The album closer "Misery, Not Memory" may be the most depressing of all with lines like "I've eaten pills no one should swallow. Wound up naked on the floor. Used a gun that wasn't clean. Now I wonder......" Again the song paints a very graphic lyrical and musical portrait. I like this album a lot and I think some of the individual songs are as good as the band has ever done. Echolyn never play it safe and "End" is another example why they are one of the most important bands in America today.

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Amazing.
I hate to compare bands, but if you took Tool, Primus and Spock's Beard and Steely Dan, and tossed them in a blender, the result might sound something like this; Echolyn's style is very difficult to describe. This release is definitely heavier than most of their other material, and as noted in other reviews, the lyrics are certainly darker. The tunes have incredible hooks, though, and the virtuosity of the band is amazing. Anyone with an adventerous ear will get a great buzz from this one. Truly amazing.

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Inspiring
On occasion an artist creates something (book, movie, music, painting, etc.) that just clicks with you. This disc is like that. The musical talent and compositional skills heard on this disc are staggering. <
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>The stomping groove of "Georgia Pine" is the perfect beginning. The jazz tinged "Heavy Blue Miles" is loaded with great vocals, horn playing and arrangements. More terrific arranging gives the grim ballad "Lovesick Morning" hope. "Make Me Sway" is another great rocking tune. "The End Is Beautiful" has a little bit of everything and the talents of the band really shine. The chorus is awesome! "So Ready" has a funky groove thing going on. The lyrics of "Arc Of Descent" are a bit depressing but the music is uplifting. The disc ends with the up-tempo "Misery, Not Memory"... another great tune. <
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>This disc won't click with everyone but all music lovers should give it a listen. <
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