Echolyn
As The World

The best progressive rock product of the nineties, the only one from the American band in question with decent availability even today, was born from a rare countertrend initiative by the giant Sony, which in the full, gloomy "Seattle" era, granted a chance to these refined professors of the musical art for themselves and without commercial constraints, people who by managing on their own had already reached about the third album by then.

And not only did Sony sign them... they didn't even interfere at all with the musical content of the work: the five high-class musicians then unleashed themselves, resulting in a work with a total duration of almost seventy minutes. It consists of sixteen songs of a complexity and executional difficulty, especially vocally, that is deadly; yet fluid and harmonious, completely captivating for an open and even minimally predisposed ear.

Despite its smooth execution, this music, so elegant, rich, and changeable, is entirely powerless against the elementary ears of the common people, which is to say the overwhelming majority of those who spend money on music, content with the advertising hype, the look, the media organization, the prêt-à-porter.

In fact, the album, published in 1994, to be precise, did not enter the charts and the dropped jaws and wide-open eyes of the fine palates, the admiring and enthusiastic reviews, the birth of a cult full of respect, were all in vain. Just as they came, Sony departed after this episode, and the disappointed Echolyn disbanded, only to fortunately reunite half a decade later with horizons more limited than ever, but with new records and always magnificent concerts.

There's no need to nitpick these sixteen tracks here and there. They should be enjoyed one after the other (some are linked together), with the utmost attention and physical and mental availability possible because all sorts of things happen... Five or six listens are the minimum required to fully enjoy it, without still missing many things.

The aspect that, in any case, stands out the most is the indecipherable, sumptuous amount of voices in canon. Two voices, three voices, four voices in canon... the mythical Gentle Giant would pale in comparison to these: choirs, chases, and vocal call-and-responses of an enveloping precision and invention; this along with surprising concatenations of atmospheres, melodic openings, tight exchanges and dialogues of bass/drums/keyboards/guitars with a profusion that Frank Zappa would have raised his eyebrow and wetted his mustache if he were still around, alive and well, to hear them.

There's no fairness in this world, we are a lousy bunch. These five gentlemen should be protected by law, like pandas. Instead, they make a living teaching music to kids. Fakkuyu.