With this lineup, echolyn recorded a second album, Suffocating the Bloom, and a 4-song EP, ...and every blossom, and with these releases attracted the attention of Sony Music. In 1993, echolyn was signed to a multi-album deal on Sony's Epic Records label, and their major-label debut, As the World, was released in March 1995.
However, the band and the label did not agree on the band's musical direction, and the band was forced to promote As the World without the support of Sony. Disillusioned, the band split up, releasing a posthumous album of demos and live tracks in 1996 called When the Sweet Turns Sour.
Weston, Kull, and Ramsey formed a new, more straightforward rock band which was first called Still, and later renamed Always Almost. Buzby formed a jazz-influenced progressive rock band called Finneus Gauge.
Echolyn reformed, without Hyatt, in the spring of 2000, with Weston picking up bass duties and new member Jordan Perlson, a Berklee College of Music graduate and former student of Buzby, supplementing Ramsey on drums and percussion. This lineup produced the 2000 album Cowboy Poems Free, a loose concept album centering on Americana, and the 2002 album mei, which contains only a single, 50-minute-long track.
After playing as a guest with the band in 2002 and early 2003, Tom Hyatt officially rejoined echolyn later that year. The first album from the fully reformed lineup was The End Is Beautiful, released in September 2005. In July 2012, the same lineup released a second eponymous album.
echolyn's members have cited Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes, Steely Dan, Jethro Tull, and The Beatles as influences.
While the band's style has varied over the years, those influences have been consistently reflected in their music. Intricate guitar leads, unorthodox harmonic structures influenced by modern classical music, and complex contrapuntal vocal passages have remained significant aspects of echolyn's musical sound.
The albums they recorded before their 1996 breakup sounded more like "classic" progressive rock, with layered keyboards and extended arrangements. Following their reformation, they have streamlined their style significantly, emphasizing strong, tightly constructed songwriting and more prominent rhythmic grooves, while maintaining much of the subtle sophistication that has caused their music to be labeled "progressive."
Brittany
echolyn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're still the talk of the table and the toast at suppertime
Still held in the highest regard, you always had your way
Even little Tuckie looked up from his bowl
When he heard your name today
We usher life along, with a handshake and a smile
You and brother carry on, we'll be OK for a while
Your Model-T is safe
4 new tires and a cover top
Rations for gas are all in place
Walt writes to say he's alive
He's been driving Little Willie's "Peep,"
And a Diamond T with wind brakes
Pacific life just can't be beat!
Brother to brother, one soldier to another
We hope you'll stay in touch
'cause the family's losing sleep...
I miss you soldier boy, yes I really do
And the whole damn family misses you, too!
Show 'em what you got Reub
You can take it on the chin
We've got the winning edge
We're red-blooded Americans
Take care of your health Reub
You'll come back a better man
Only 2 more tours to go
Just follow the master plan
At 18 you've already seen enough to pass life's test
So stay in your foxhole Reub
The battle's bulging at Brest...
When the whole world is another world away
You live your life waiting for words from yesterday
Ball and chained to a cause that keeps us free
You live your life waiting at blessed Brittany...
The song "Brittany" by echolyn is a touching ballad about a soldier, named Reub, who is away at war fighting for his country. The lyrics are addressed to Reub and describe the homefront, where his family and friends are, and how they are doing in his absence. The song portrays how much Reub is loved and missed by his family, with his name frequently talked about and mentioned during meal times. Reub's family is proud of him and his service to the nation, but they are also worried about him and want him to come back safely.
The song also contains an element of hope and encouragement for Reub to stay strong and follow the plan. His brother and other soldiers are counting on him, and they hope he will stay in touch with his family, who misses him dearly. The song paints a picture of a soldier who is fighting a battle for the greater good, but at the same time, is enduring hardship and waiting for news from home. The final lines of the song suggest that Brittany is the place where Reub is stationed, and it is the place where he is waiting to return home to when the war is over.
Overall, the lyrics of "Brittany" are an emotional tribute to the sacrifice and dedication of soldiers who fight for their country. The song highlights the struggle and pain both soldiers and their families go through while apart and waiting for good news.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother and father say the homefront's doing fine
The parents are providing updates that everything is normal and well back home.
You're still the talk of the table and the toast at suppertime
They are still discussing and praising the soldier at meals.
Still held in the highest regard, you always had your way
The soldier is highly respected and always got what he wanted.
Even little Tuckie looked up from his bowl When he heard your name today
Even a small child showed interest and respect for the soldier by hearing his name.
We usher life along, with a handshake and a smile
The family is supporting and accepting what is happening with positive gestures and expressions.
You and brother carry on, we'll be OK for a while
The brother is encouraged to keep going while reassuring that the family will manage without him for some time.
Your Model-T is safe Stan stored it at Adam's place 4 new tires and a cover top Rations for gas are all in place
The Model-T car is secure, reinforced, and ready with necessary provisions while stored in someone else's shelter.
Walt writes to say he's alive He's been driving Little Willie's 'Peep,' And a Diamond T with wind brakes Pacific life just can't be beat!
The soldier's friend, Walt, writes expressing his survival and the joy of driving vehicles in Pacific life.
Brother to brother, one soldier to another We hope you'll stay in touch 'cause the family's losing sleep...
As fellow soldiers, the brother is asked to remain in contact for worry of losing touch otherwise due to the distance and time difference.
I miss you soldier boy, yes I really do And the whole damn family misses you, too!
The artist expresses how much they miss the soldier and that the whole family feels the same.
Show 'em what you got Reub You can take it on the chin We've got the winning edge We're red-blooded Americans Take care of your health Reub You'll come back a better man Only 2 more tours to go Just follow the master plan At 18 you've already seen enough to pass life's test So stay in your foxhole Reub The battle's bulging at Brest...
Reub is being encouraged to fight well, take care of himself, stick to the plan, and get back as a better man. As an 18-year-old, he has faced and learned enough from the battle.
When the whole world is another world away You live your life waiting for words from yesterday Ball and chained to a cause that keeps us free You live your life waiting at blessed Brittany...
Being in the battle makes the soldier's world feel distant from what life used to be, so he waits to hear from his loved ones. However, he is devoted to the cause of freedom and is waiting to return to Brittany, a location that holds significance to him.
Contributed by Caden O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.