I enjoyed this album quite a bit. The lyrics and melodies made an emotional connection with me and I often found myself with tears in my eyes at the aforementioned themes of (especially) loneliness and longing. Then again, that could have been my BPD acting up. Anyway, a gorgeous piece of music.
Mongrel dog soils actor's feet
favorite part of the "Jersey Tomato" disc: "We have one more song left...uh, does anyone have to use the bathroom?"
Critter Jams "album of the week" blog: http://critterjams.wordpress.com
Originally Posted by JAMOOL
Brett just posted this on FB:
Happy Mei Day!
One of the two favorite albums my band created!
I was looking at the original sessions this morning remembering the process… Writing the music for Mei was such a joy. It came about relatively easy considering the breadth of the project. We started in September of 2001. From my notes during that time period we had the first (of four) sections sketched out by October 2nd, 2001, the second by December 12th, the third by January 30th, 2002, then the intro to the song in February sometime. We rehearsed and developed the arrangements in March then started recording the album on April 10 2001. I know Chris was doing a lot work in March and April developing the string, woodwind, and tuned percussion parts. By May I was mixing and mastering the tracks. I think I finished by the 21st of that month –2002, (according to the session information).
I’m going to get in my car now, drive through the beautiful day, and spill the music fully from my car windows.
Brett
It's interesting what he says about four sections.
At the time, didn't Brett or somebody actually provide a "map" with titles and time marks for the different sections of mei?
I always think of it as five:
The "cathedral glass"/"fade away" section
The "out here there could be giants"/"drunk on his own words" section
The "Pride" section
The "where were my kinder words" section until the main theme is brought in with the strings
The acoustic coda
I'd be interested to see what sections the band imagined.
There've been several of those. I think NearFest Chad made one, and Wikipedia gives this (with section timings, but no time marks):
i. hope (3:58)
ii. absence (4:22)
iii. interlude: abandoned (0:21)
iv. open road (3:14)
v. all that's golden (4:05)
vi. whispers (6:59)
vii. pride, part i (2:08)
viii. pride, part ii (2:54)
ix. infernal scratch (6:18)
x. hope renewed (2:50)
xi. shadows (4:49)
xii. love remains (1:33)
xiii. recovery overture (3:52)
xiv. bound for home (2:11)
And adds, "Sub-indexing unofficially blessed by the band."
Here's a version with time marks created by adding up the track timings.
It might not be 100% accurate, but the full sum checks out, so everything should be within a second or two.
mei, by Echolyn. complete time 49:33.
- 00:00 - hope (3:58)
- 03:58 - absence (4:22)
- 08:20 - interlude: abandoned (0:21)
- 08:41 - open road (3:14)
- 11:55 - all that's golden (4:05)
- 16:00 - whispers (6:59)
- 22:59 - pride, first part (2:08)
- 25:07 - pride, second part (2:54)
- 28:01 - infernal scratch (6:18)
- 34:19 - hope renewed (2:50)
- 37:09 - shadows (4:49)
- 41:58 - love remains (1:33)
- 43:31 - recovery overture (3:52)
- 47:23 - bound for home (2:11)
A masterpiece IMO.
Yep, that's my breakdown.
Chad
From it's time of release I just couldn't get into it...that still hasn't changed. I mean, I do 'like' the album, but I've never been able to venture into the love category with it. Which is a shame because I know it's great, it just doesn't click for me. Give me As The World any day over Mei.
"The Bill of Rights says nothing about the freedom of hearing. This, of course, takes a lot of the fun out of the freedom of speech." - Pat Paulsen
My Art- http://www.facebook.com/williamallenrenfro -My Life
That's about my feeling on it as well. Diff'rent strokes, as the saying goes.
As some of their albums have faded for me over time, this one has definitely grown on me.
To me, mei has never lost its appeal. I still listen to it once or twice a year during road trips.
It's the only echolyn album I return to on a regular basis. Marvelous stuff.
The Prog Corner
I was at this performance, I'm probably somewhere in the video! I was lucky enough to also see Riverside at the North Star Bar. It was in the Fairmont section of Philly and a great place to see bands perform up close and personal. It was an excellent overall performance.
This is pretty much my view as well. I always enjoyed it while it was playing, but nothing ever stuck with me. I haven't listened to it in a few years, so I'll have to break it out again and see if anything has changed. Still feel As The World was one of their best (I like Windowpane just a bit more I think).
I prefer the "mature" Echolyn and I rank this behind Cowboy Poems Free and The End is Beautiful. One of those albums like Tales from Topographic Oceans where I pull it out once a year when the mood is right for it. It's funny because every time it's like I'm hearing it for the first time, like I forget how great some of the sections are and then one kicks in and I'm going, "oh yeah, this part, yeah this is fantastic, I forgot about this!"
They kinda lost me with the Windows album though. Some great stuff on there (Islands is stunning) but other stuff that leaves me flat. Overall feels too laid back. Nowadays their earlier stuff sounds hyper, but I still like it. When early Echolyn was the only Echolyn available, I was loving it but the later stuff has really come to the foreground for me.
You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...
One of the best compliments you could ever make for a composition. It's like you always hear something you never noticed before.
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