Epicycle: Swirl

Sometimes you need to hear something different. In a world overpopulated with soundalike bands that refuse to make any demands on a listener, and radio whose corporate monopoly ownership dictates such sameness, it is my pleasure to relate the existence of Epicycle and their most ambitious release Swirl.

Epicycle is the ambitious creative brainchild of brothers Tom and Ellis Clark, who are a two-man musical trust. Here is the lengthy list of what the two Clarks do on this new one: Ellis Clark — vocals, piano, electric/acoustic/slide guitars, bass guitar, farfisa organ, harmonica, recorder, vibraphone, synth, and banjo; Tom Clark — vocals, drums, percussions, trombone, trumpet, synth, piano, vibraphone, and insane noises. Keep in mind that these two are skilled at what they play — then add in nineteen other guest artists for other vocals, horns, guitars and strings — and you’ll only begin to get an idea of the sheer expanse of the music offered here.

Swirl is the sophomore effort from Epicycle, a bit more polished and mature than 1998’s Orange (which also drew high praise from many critics), yet no less interesting and artful. This is not standard radio fare — this is a complex collection of songs that vary in mood, tone and arrangement. Each song offers up its own little production drama, if you will, which makes listening an enjoyable and often eclectic challenge.

For five years, the brothers have been busy co-producing and playing on CD’s of other people. In 2001, for instance, Ellis co-produced and played most of the backing tracks on the two critically praised albums of Kevin Tihista (Tom played some too). Other artists worked with include Nikki Sudden, the Chamber Strings, and June & the Exit Wounds.

While mixing and playing for others, the brothers Epicycle found opportunities to write and record twelve new songs for this impressive current offering. Again, this CD defies easy analysis. At times, it has the feel of Pink Floyd meets Harry Nilsson. It’s that sort of paradox — tuneful at times, dissonant at others; covering a wide array of stylistic choices. Yet each song is layered with a dazzling amount of music and vocals, well arranged and cleanly produced.

“Rings” opens the CD with guitar and strings laying an aural foundation for the eventual rocker that follows. This snazzy ditty about questioning those who want to rule the world features great drumming and fine harmonies.

This is followed by an unusual cover choice, David Bowie’s “Rubberband”. Bowie would be proud of the layered nuances within what the Ellis brothers have produced here (even a sort of marching band middle lead that fades into psychedelic strains). Again, there’s that Pink Floyd layering of sounds, guaranteeing that each track becomes a headphones adventure.

“Crash” opens with some jazzy trumpet work against mood setting lounge organ before the subtle harmonies take over. This is a carefully measured and beautiful composition that’s almost trance-like at times. At 6:24, there’s ample time for its guitars and strings to slowly build. While some might consider it heresy, I daresay it wouldn’t have too hard a time fitting into the classic canon that is Dark Side Of The Moon.

“Sunday Girl” opens with a combination of piano, organ and sweet West Coast harmonies, then fades into a banjo and single vocal verse. A second vocal and a piccolo join as the song slowly re-gains in volume and instrumental accompaniment. This is a fine example of the great production choices and arrangements to be found on Swirl. This plea for redemption at the hand of Sunday’s Girl is another wonderful well-crafted song that would get airplay in a universe that rewarded such details.

With no exception, each of these tracks is complex with intriguing musical and vocal choices. Some have layered backgrounds of strange rhythms and sounds that serve up interesting variants of the “Revolution” musical nightmare. There’s plenty of such moments within the extended soundscape of “Rattlesnake & Cricket”.

“Six in the Morning” seems a melodic sister of “Sunday Girl”, though presenting more of a Kinks feel to its optimistic self-aware lyrics: “Better days ahead / Better days for you my friend / If our skies aren’t blue / Even if it rains again”.

“I’m So Cool” is a bit of silliness that points out the blatant stupidity of the concept, while “Nimoby” is a fascinating horn-accompanied apocalyptic musical play, complete with vocal twists and turns (from opening policeman’s warning to creepily whispered lead vocals to a megaphone vocal to a middle vocal bridge that sounds almost Frankie Valli-like). The whole thing is strange and eclectic, its message bleak and troubling, yet the song is done masterfully.

This is tempered somewhat by the bittersweet promise of “Big Day”, that declares: “We’ve got no time for sadness / No time for tears / No time for their games / To boost up our fears”. Sounds happy and hopeful, but in the end, there’s still a mad dash to get the hell out before the troops arrive. This song features spectacular lead guitar work from Al Wittek.

“Lunatic” is another unusual tome, this one with spoken vocal verses (two by guest Mark Vickery), matching a sort of beatnik finger-snapping sensibility with a metal chorus. “Summersun” is another infectious melody, an ode to remembered friendships and loves of autumns past given a healthy swirl of an arrangement .

For those seeking more straightforward pop/rock, there’s the more gentle harmonica- inflected “You Should Know It”. This tune (included in the recent International Pop Overthrow, Volume 5 compilation) is probably Epicycle’s proof to doubters that they also can craft more formulaic love-song pop (to drive that home further, the song is introduced by an oldies radio jingle). Not only can they do it, they do it well.

Just under ten minutes of bonus “music” follows the twelfth track (more like the Ellis brothers at play in the studio). The album is dedicated to the memories of their father and George Harrison, and comes in a nice graphics package courtesy of Mark Ricketts (and yes, lyrics are provided).

Overall, Swirl is an incredible mélange of sounds and instruments captured in songs presented as mini-epics. The Ellis brothers present their formidable talents in ways that at the very least fascinate and quite often transcend beyond one’s expectations. Swirl is a fair distance from easy listening, but it’s a most rewarding journey if you’re a more adventurous listener. Are you a fan of Pink Floyd that’s bored by most of the music that’s currently out there? Perhaps you should sample the skewed musical vision that is Epicycle’s impressive sophomore collection.