The four members are all trained in classical and jazz music, and Echo Helstrom has been called an "orchestral rock band" due to their instrumentation (violin, and bowed standup bass instead of electric bass guitar) and arrangements, which runs from chamber music to punk rock and many genres in between. The result has been described as "...a combination of raw emotional power with sophisticated melodic beauty" (and more prosaically as "Kurt Cobain meets Leonard Bernstein").
The band is named after an early girlfriend of Bob Dylan, and Seligman’s lyrics and vocals have been described as Dylanesque.
The song "Floor 104" on their eponymous first album, with its haunting ending of "please don’t go / please don’t go / to work today / to work today", is dedicated to Seligman’s stepbrother Laurence Polatsch, who perished in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
The Echo Jazz Trio - an incarnation of the band sans Dinu - is also active on the Portland scene, and performed Seligman’s music for a Netscape television ad.
The Veil
Echo Helstrom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some really know but most just talk
It's got something to do with letting go
I'm sitting inside a broken tree
I'm drinking the will of you and me
And I'll swallow anything
That you eat
You beg for mercy
When I hold you down
You beg for mercy
When I hold you down
It's not your culture
That holds us back this time
I want to tear off your disguise
Leave you open to the thing at night that cries
Close to midnight when the veil is gone
I want to get in this car and drive
Throw ourselves from the machine
While we're still alive
With your watercolors
Paint all the streetsigns
You beg for mercy
When I hold you down
You beg for mercy
When I hold you down
It's not your culture
That holds us back this time
I beg for mercy when I hold you
I beg for mercy when I hold you
I beg for mercy when I hold you
I beg for mercy when I hold you
I beg for mercy
I beg for mercy
I beg for mercy
I beg for mercy
Darkness is not
Darkness is not so absolute
Feel like I might
Feel like I might be breaking through
Wondering when
Wondering when the dam will break
All of my senses
All of my senses overflow
Ready to link
Ready to link myself to you
Lift up the veil
Lift up the veil I'm coming through
Darkness is not
Darkness is not so absolute
Feel like I might
Feel like I might be breaking through
Wondering when
Wondering when the dam will break
All of my senses
All of my senses overflow
Ready to link
Ready to link myself to you
Lift up the veil
Lift up the veil I'm coming through
The lyrics of Echo Helstrom’s “The Veil” explore the search for self-discovery and releasing oneself from societal and cultural constraints. The opening lines suggest that the singer is trying to find a way forward and embrace change, but only a few people have managed to do so while others only talk about it. This could be interpreted as people being afraid to take risks and overcome their limitations. The next stanza discusses the singer’s state of being, sitting in a broken tree, drinking in the essence of themselves and others. They are willing to accept and consume anything the other person has to offer. The third stanza is more aggressive in tone. The singer holds the other person down, and the latter begs for mercy, indicating a release of pent up emotions and a desire for freedom. The chorus repeats throughout the song, stating that culture is not the driving force that holds individuals back, but perhaps their own limitations that prevent them from breaking free.
The singer then goes on to describe their desire to tear off the other person’s disguise, allowing them to be open and vulnerable to the world, breaking free of the limitations of societal norms. They want to jump into a car and drive without restraint or hesitation, living life to the fullest. The final lines suggest that the singer is ready to break through and overcome their limitations. They feel like they are on the verge of breaking free, and the veil that has been hiding the truth from them is about to be lifted. The repetition of the chorus, both begging for mercy and feeling mercy, shows the struggle within the singer’s own self, the battle of releasing themselves from the constraints of culture and society.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm trying to find the way to walk
I'm on a quest trying to uncover the best way to proceed.
Some really know but most just talk
Some people actually know the answer, but most just talk aimlessly.
It's got something to do with letting go
The solution is related to letting go of something.
I'm sitting inside a broken tree
I feel isolated and surrounded by destruction.
I'm drinking the will of you and me
I'm consuming the combined desire of both of us.
And I'll swallow anything That you eat
I'm willing to accept and consume anything that you're willing to ingest.
You beg for mercy When I hold you down
When I have power over you, you plead for mercy.
It's not your culture That holds us back this time
Our limitations this time aren't caused by your culture.
I want to tear off your disguise
I want to strip away the façade and reveal your true self.
Leave you open to the thing at night that cries
I want to expose you to the vulnerable side of life that cries out in despair in the night.
Close to midnight when the veil is gone
Late at night when the mask is removed and true emotions are displayed.
I want to get in this car and drive
I want to get in the car and escape from all my problems.
Throw ourselves from the machine While we're still alive
While we're still alive, we should exit the routine and do something spontaneous.
With your watercolors Paint all the streetsigns
Paint the road signs with your emotions and leave your mark.
Darkness is not Darkness is not so absolute
The dark doesn't always mean complete obscurity.
Feel like I might Feel like I might be breaking through
I sense that I'm about to make a breakthrough.
Wondering when Wondering when the dam will break
Anticipating the moment of release when the obstacle will no longer stand in the way.
All of my senses All of my senses overflow
My senses are overwhelmed with emotion.
Ready to link Ready to link myself to you
I'm ready to connect with you emotionally and mentally.
Lift up the veil Lift up the veil I'm coming through
Lift away the barrier and I will come through to you.
Contributed by Alex D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.