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Echolyn - When The Sweet Turns Sour

Artist:	Echolyn
Title:	When The Sweet Turns Sour
Label:	Cyclops CYCL 036
Length(s):	54 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1996
Month of review:	06/1996

Line up

Brett Kull - guitar, lead vocals
Ray Weston - lead vocals, some bass
Paul Ramsey - drums, percussion
Chris Buzby - keyboards
Tom Hyatt - bass
Greg Kull - manager, artwork
Maurice Richard - office, live sound, internet and then some

Tracks

1)	100 Diversions	7.10
2)	Another Day	3.29
3)	Where The Sour Turns To Sweet	4.59
4)	Meaning And The Moment	4.49
5)	The Currents Of Me	7.25
6)	Patchwork	3.31
7)	This Time Alone	9.09
8)	A Little Nonsense (live)	7.07
9)	As The World (live)	6.56

Summary

Oh, how did the sweetness of a major recorddeal turn sour. At least that is how I tend to interprete the title of the ultimate (in the literal sense) release of this famed prog band from the US. After Echolyn and the great second CD, Suffocating the Bloom, the less interesting and incredibly busy As the World which still contained some mighty good tracks, this CD should wrap it all up. As usual with this kind of CD, you have to listen to the tracks separately and not to the album as a whole.

The music

Well it turns out that the songs on this album are very Echolyn as we have come to know it. This means rather Gentle Giantish tracks with intricate vocal arrangements and some heavy guitar thrown in. The first track is the last one they ever wrote together and it's quite a good track which makes it all too sad tht they are no more. The singing is kind of hazy on this track, there are a lot breaks on this track, but they are used well. All in all a good one. On the next track, the track Uncle from As the World is said to be based, although they weren't satisfied with the vocals.

Track three is the missing Tribute track. Sony wouldn't let them put it on the Genesis tribute and this a typical example of a cover in which you can hear whose playing it and also the ones wrote it.

The percussive follow up is from Echolyn, an album that is turning into some kind of collector item these days (if anyone has a copy to spare, please mail me :) ) It's rather repetitive and acoustic.

Steely Dan and again Gentle Giant are again what comes to mind with the next track it's rather bouncy with modified vocals. Track six and seven are again typcially Echolyn and very varied.

This leaves us with the two live tracks, being A Little Nonsense, which is a rather jamming kind of track (like they say on the booklet). I couldn't really catch on to what they were inspired by.

Regarding the last track: The world still turns, but Echolyn no more.

Conclusion

As a whole a collection of demoes and live outtakes but with a good soundquality to them, so that should not be a problem. Although I often refer to Gentle Giant and the meticulous Steely Dan, Echolyn was an original force, very recognizable and in some ways because of this at times a little tiring to my tastes (like I say in As the World). As a whole I think I like this one better). Probably because it's not that long.