The original line-up, back together. The End Is Beautiful is echolyn’s 2005 album: a return to condensed, song-based progressive rock after the single-piece Mei, and the first record with founding bassist Tom Hyatt back in the fold.

The short version

The 2005 album by echolyn, released on their own Velveteen Records; eight songs that marked a return to condensed, song-based writing after the album-length single piece of Mei. It was the first record made by echolyn’s reunited original line-up, with founding bassist Tom Hyatt officially back alongside Brett Kull, Christopher Buzby, Ray Weston and Paul Ramsey. Energetic, jazzy and enriched by guest horns, it is one of the strongest entries in the band’s later catalogue.

The original line-up, reunited

After the ambitious, single-piece Mei, echolyn changed tack completely for their next album, returning to a set of self-contained songs. The End Is Beautiful also brought a significant line-up change: founding bassist Tom Hyatt, who had stepped away in the 1990s, officially rejoined, reuniting the classic original five-piece for the first time in years. Written and recorded between 2004 and 2005 and produced by Brett Kull, the album adds a set of guest horn arrangements — scored by keyboardist Christopher Buzby — to the band’s sound, giving several tracks a punchy, brass-tinged energy.

The sound

A more condensed, song-based take on echolyn’s progressive rock, energetic and often jazzy, but still full of the intricate arrangements and interlocking vocal harmonies that mark the band out. The influence of Gentle Giant remains audible in the vocal writing, while Buzby’s keyboards — from snarling Hammond organ to agile piano — and the guest horns give the album a warm, rootsy, at times almost soulful colour. Kull and Weston again share lead vocals, and the rhythm section of Hyatt and Ramsey drives the music with agility and punch.

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The songs

The eight songs range from the energetic, handclap-driven opener Georgia Pines to the ten-minute Lovesick Morning and the jazzy, shape-shifting title track, which builds from an atmospheric opening into an intricate rocker. So Ready and Make Me Sway keep the momentum up, while the nine-minute closer Misery, Not Memory is a highlight — progressive, jazzy and melodic, with Hyatt’s agile bass, Kull’s weaving guitar and Buzby’s colourful keyboards making it a quintessential echolyn finale.

Reception and legacy

The End Is Beautiful was warmly received, with several reviewers finding it a more immediate and rewarding listen than the demanding Mei, and a natural companion to the song-based Cowboy Poems Free. Its reunited original line-up and its blend of energy, craft and warmth earned it a place in regular rotation among the band’s admirers, and it stands as one of the more accessible and consistently enjoyable albums of echolyn’s later years.

The verdict

A warm, energetic and finely crafted album, and one of the most immediately enjoyable of echolyn’s later records: their intricate prog delivered as a set of punchy, jazzy, horn-flecked songs, performed by the reunited original line-up. Come to it for Georgia Pines, the title track and the superb closer Misery, Not Memory. It sits comfortably alongside As the World and Cowboy Poems Free, and makes an excellent entry point for anyone curious about this quietly brilliant American band.

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