Echolyn

A song from Echolyn's 1992 self-released album Suffocating the Bloom included the lines, "I'm not sure I want/To sell to those that want to buy/Go through hell for those that want to buy." Rarely have lyrics been this foretelling. The group did decide to sell -- to Sony, who signed them, released As the World, took off the shelves and locked away their previous three albums (as part of the record contract), and offered them almost no support. By the end of 1995 the group had gone through hell indeed and split with bitter feelings. When the Sweet Turns Sour (a bittersweet wordplay on an old Genesis song) was intended to bring closure to weeping fans. It gathers unreleased tracks and demos of songs the guys were working on when they called it quits. "Another Day" and "Patchwork" are leftovers from As the World, good but not stunning as one would expect. "Where the Sour Turns to Sweet" was intended for a Mellow Records Genesis tribute, but shelved after Sony denied permission to release it. There is also an acoustic version of one of the group's first songs, "Meaning and the Moment," interpreted in the style of the material found on the EP ...And Every Blossom. The new songs, still a bit rough-edged, held great promise, with "This Time Alone" standing as one of the group's best efforts: complex, powerful, and emotional. The album concludes with two classic songs from their final concert: "A Little Nonsense" and "As the World." Even though the group re-formed four years later, things would never be the same. Singer Ray Weston and guitarist Brett Kull took a shine to simpler forms of rock songs, while keyboardist Chris Buzby vented his jazz-rock leanings in Finneus Gauge. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide