Stars & Gardens

This is a 2-DVD set, not a CD
As I write this, "Stars and Gardens" is mistakenly listed as an audio CD. This is actually a 2-DVD set that contains a great 2003 live show by Echolyn. The set list includes the entire album-length "Mei" performed with 6 additional musicians, a new acoustic arrangement of "Never the Same", and great tracks like "Texas Dust", "The Cheese Stands Alone", and "1729 Broadway". To my ears, "Mei" and "Cowboy Poems Free" are the best prog-rock albums ANYONE has made since 1980, so with the strong live performance this DVD is a must-have...musically. The visuals are another story. The video production is amateurish, with poorly framed shots, aimless jump cuts, plenty of high school A-V gimmicks like high contrast, and non sequitur snippets of mostly-bad film clips that look like REM's earliest videos. For example, in the middle of "A Little Nonsense" a home movie of a skydiving trip suddenly cuts in. Based on the credits, it looks like guitarist Brett Kull had as much of a hand in the editing...

The 15th Anniversary for one of my favourite bands!!
This is the 15th Anniversary for one of my favourite bands (not only within a collection of progressive music!!), which deserve the best recognition above all if you consider their effort to produce by themselves such a stunning live at Sellersville Theatre (Pennsylvania), dated 25 May 2003. Tom Hyatt has joined together the old members of the band here,including eleven titles within around a couple of hours, with four songs from "As the World", other four tracks from "Cowboy poems free", without forgetting one song for each of the remaining three albums (even though "Mei" alone-the recent suite- is 40 minutes long!!), for me essential. Ok- you see- it's a sort of testament live on stage for these clever boys from West point, and probably it's the last occasion to see them played live some great tunes such as "The cheese stands alone", "A little nonsense" or "As the World"...nevertheless their 2nd DVD includes an important variety from their Archive, helped by remarkable films from...

5 Stars for the Garden!
This is my favorite American Prog Rock band. I have followed their career since the 90's. This 2 DVD contains a amazing concert in a small club filmed with a lot of close-up of the very talented musicians. This is symphonic rock at his best with jazz influence and a good dose of Gentle Giant. Their music brings many tempo changes alternating quiet passages and heavy ones with such talents. The highlight of the DVD is their 50 minutes Epic "Mei" that takes you on a journey through different atmospheres, with all the ingredients that makes this band unique. Great musicianship, very good vocals, and always interesting compositions, Echolyn deliver a nice performance here.

The picture quality is enjoyable with some special effects, although is not in 16:9 format. The stereo sound is good. There is a second DVD with interviews, behind the scenes that let you know the band's history.

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