After slogging my way through the enjoyable but lengthy Bleak House, I decided to pick up a new book that Amazon’s algorithm recommended to me: Jack Gatland’s Silver and the Sunday Cypher. It turned out to be the perfect follow-up to a relatively dark Victorian masterpiece.
Silver and the Sunday Cypher is a fun and fast-paced thriller that features 64-year-old widow, Laura Carlyle, who is thrust into a cloak and dagger world of secret societies, murder, espionage, and international diplomacy. It begins with the assassination by poisoning of Harry Farrell in broad daylight in front of a London church. Farrell has been compiling a dossier on a shadowy group that is called The Calendar. Its members go by days of the week (shades of G. K. Chesterton’s The Man Who Was Thursday), with a mysterious “Mr. Sunday” at the top of The Calendar’s hierarchy.
In this post, Brad Birzer and Tad Wert discuss the recent releases from Echolyn: TimeSilentRadio II and TimeSilentRadio VII.
Tad: Brad, I am really excited about discussing these two albums with you. I discovered Echolyn back in 2012 with their eponymous album (I call it the “Windows Album”, because of its cover art), which knocked me out with its beauty and melodicism. They followed that one up with the excellent I Heard You Listening in 2015, and, except for the extraordinary Accumulated Blur single, there was nothing. I thought perhaps they had quit making new music, when, lo and behold, they graced us with not one but two full-length albums!
TImeSilentRadio II features two songs: Time Has No Place (16:37) and Water In Our Hands (28:51), while TimeSilentRadio VII has seven tracks. I’ll start things off with stating how much I love Time Has No Place – it brings to mind side two of the Beatles’ Abbey Road, with its relatively short sections that combine into a powerful suite of music. I also hear hints of The Band, believe it or not, in a general “rootsiness” to the playing. Chris Buzby, Ray Weston, and Brett Kull have never sounded better, in my opinion, than they do now. These are seasoned, incredibly talented musicians at the top of their game. It doesn’t hurt that they also compose such catchy melodies!
What are your thoughts on this first song?
Brad: Tad, as always, a pleasure to talk with you about our favorite bands. And, Echolyn is certainly a favorite band. I’m in total agreement with you regarding the “Windows Album” from 2012. It’s excellent, and its sound is so much more evolved than the band’s earlier work. Truly a gorgeous progression and transition of the band overall from their beginnings through now. I also really love Mei and I Heard You Listening. Their work is incredibly complex, compelling, and mature.
I first came across Echolyn during graduate school in Bloomington, Indiana. It was right after I finished my coursework and began to formulate my dissertation that I came across a copy of As the World. Frankly, that CD–one of the first CDs I ever bought, along with The Hurting by Tears for Fears and October by U2–came into constant rotation, and I absorbed every aspect of it. To be sure, it’s a weird CD, a real hodgepodge of lyrics and ideas and musical styles. It was clear, however, that the band had absolutely poured themselves into As the World and, from almost every perspective, the album was simply “over the top” in its earnestness. Of course, this only endeared the CD even more to me.
It should be remembered that Echolyn emerged at the same time as Hogarth-led Marillion, Roine Stolt’s The Flower Kings, and Neal Morse’s Spock’s Beard. To put it simply, prog was in the air, and this was the very beginning of third-wave prog, led, in the beginning, by an equal number of European/English and American acts. While grunge was dominating in the United States, there were also acts like Phish and Dave Matthews that weren’t prog, but they were prog-adjacent. Soon, of course, the European culture would embrace prog a million times more than the American culture would, but that’s another post. Echolyn were a bunch of young guys from the East Coast, and they were making stunningly complex music, theatrical to its core.
So, frankly, Echolyn arrived in my life at a truly critical point. I’d finished my coursework, but I’d not started the dissertation; I was working for the Organization of American Historians as a full-time editor, and I was still single, two years away from meeting Dedra. Plus, I was deeply searching for meaning in all the music I listened to–whether Talk-era Yes, Brave-era Marillion, Happy Days-era Catherine Wheel, or As the World-era Echolyn. Each of these albums was dramatically shaping my soul, my artistic outlook, and, especially, my approach to writing. Frankly, it was a lonely but glorious time, full of adventure as well as full of challenges.
The lyrics of As the World–much like earlier Rush and Talk Talk had done–joyfully encouraged me to find my own path, to ignore the crowd, and to embrace creativity against a tapioca conformity.
So, I don’t mean to be sappy, Tad, but I simply wouldn’t be who I am today without Echolyn as those other bands just mentioned.
As such, when Echolyn releases a new album–or, as it turned out–two new albums, I’m fully in the moment, absorbing everything I can.
Though rooted in the progressive rock tradition, Echolyn is very much their own band. If pushed, though, I would say I hear in all their music, a huge amount of Hackett-era Genesis, a lot of Kansas, a bit of Styx, and a lot of the Tin Spirits. The latter might just be coincidence rather than direct influence. Or, the influence might go the other way.
But, this has been a long digression, Tad, as you only asked me for my opinion about the first track on TimeSilentRadioII, “Time Has No Place.” Well, I love it. From that opening guitar riff, sounding like something from the Allman Brothers, I’m completely hooked. And, the lyrics are tone poems, invoking a myriad of images. Yeah, Tad, this is something truly special, musically as well as lyrically.
Tad: Brad, as always, I love hearing how various artists and albums have impacted your life. I can say the same about a few albums – Roxy Music’s Avalon and Todd Rundgren’s Something/Anything?, to name a couple.
Okay, we both love “Time Has No Place”. Once again, I’ll point out how wonderfully the Beatlesque melodies pour out in this one track – it’s a blast, and it sounds like the band had a great time putting it together.
The second track on TimeSilent Radio II is “Water In Our Hands”, and it’s almost 30 minutes long. It strikes me as more weighty and serious. I have listened to it several times, and I love the way it develops. It also contains what it probably my favorite stretch of music out of both albums: “Water In Our Hands, Part VI”, which is the final seven minutes. I must not be alone in my admiration of this section, because Echolyn made an official video for it:
There seems to be a lot of emotion in their performance, and I find it very moving. It’s just a beautiful piece of music, and one of my favorite tracks of 2025.
Brad: Thanks, Tad. I would love to hear the story of Avalon and Something/Anything and what they mean to you. Sounds like a great story.
I will admit, I was a bit taken aback with “Water in Our Hands.” At 28plus minutes, I so desperately wanted to love the heck out of this track. I wanted it to be the 2025 equivalent of 2009’s “The Under Fall Yard.” And, for the most part I do love it.
But, I must also admit–though this may just be the inner Puritan speaking–I hate the employment of the F word and the sort of growling presentation of it. I just don’t understand the necessity for it. It’s such a violent word, and it really disrupts the beauty of this song. Echolyn is better than this, and so is its audience. We demand beauty, truth, and goodness!
Ok, this quip aside, it’s a truly gorgeous track that flows, for the most part, immaculately, word to word, idea to idea, and tune to tune.
And, totally agreed, the last seven minutes are just simply glorious. So perfectly Beatlesque.
So, Tad, what do you think of the second CD, TimeSilentRadio VII? As strong as the first disk?
Tad: Brad, at first I thought TimeSilentRadio VII was not as strong as TSR II, but the more I listen to them (and I have been listening to them as a pair), I find myself drawn to the shorter songs in TSR VII. It starts off with such an enjoyable bang with “Radio Waves”. The vocal harmonies are spot-on, and Buzby’s piano work is absolutely stellar. It’s right at 7 minutes long, but it seems much shorter. Maybe because it’s fairly fast-paced.
“Silent Years” is just as good, with some gritty guitar riffing paired with piano. Jordan Perlson’s drumming is rock-solid on this track, while the vocal harmonies are outstanding (again). As a matter of fact, I don’t recall any Echolyn album featuring vocal arrangements this complex and beautiful.
I love how “Cul-de-Sacs and Tunnels” has a really atmospheric intro that soon bursts into an energetic middle section before subsiding into a calmer conclusion. The last couple of minutes (“She’s still burning bright”) are just gorgeous.
“Boulders on Hills” is about, I believe, domestic strife due to financial stresses. It’s an appropriately tense track. “I want more/I’ve got nothing left to give” is the sound of two desperate people. “Our Brilliant Next” is a relatively easygoing track, while “On We Blur” is a fun and bouncy tune that I find myself irresistibly singing along to. This is another song they’ve released a video for:
Trigger warning, Brad – there’s an f-bomb in it! I agree with you that it’s discouraging how the use of that language is getting normalized, but I think Echolyn are being strategic in its deployment. That said, I’d rather not hear it.
TSR VII closes with “Tiny Star”, another song accompanied with an official video, and what a great song to wrap things up with! This is the strongest track on the album, and it encapsulates everything that is good about Echolyn: delightfully catchy melodies with interesting twists, tight-as-a-tick musicianship, and layers of vocal harmonies. “Tiny Star” is one of their best songs ever.
Brad, I’ve rambled on a bit, but to summarize, I would say both TSR II and TSR VII are essential additions to Echolyn’s discography. It’s as if no time has passed since their last release, and they sound better than ever. Finally, I think they are two parts of an indivisible whole. I can’t imagine listening to just one album; they complement each other perfectly and need to be taken as one suite of music.
Brad: A brilliant synopsis of TimeSilentRadio VII, Tad. Thank you. And, I totally agree with you on these two releases. There really couldn’t be one without the other, and I’ve been happily listening to both over the past few weeks. I had the same thought as you–that II was better than VII, but the more I listen to it, the more I think they are equal and necessary, one to the other. An excellent decision on the part of Echolyn to release both.
And, each adds not only something gorgeous to my Echolyn collection (and, yes, as with anything I love, I am a completist and rather hyper about it) but to my overall music collection. As I look back over the last twenty-plus years of third wave prog, America might not quite compete in terms of volume with Europe, but it certainly does in quality.
Readers can order the new Echolyn releases here or here.
Progressive Rock legends Echolyn share video for “On We Blur” from TimeSilentRadio vii Two albums, TimeSilentRadio II &TimeSilentRadio vii, are both out now
Progressive Rock legends Echolyn released their two critically acclaimed new albums TimeSilentRadio vii & TimeSilentRadio II earlier this year on March 7, 2025 ~ coincidentally on the 30th Anniversary of their 1995 Sony/Epic Records release As The World. The band recently shared a performance video for “Water In Our Hands, part 6” from #TRSII, and are now pleased to share another new video from #TSRvii for the track “On We Blur,” premiering today on The Prog Report.The band shared this about the track:“The lyrics to “On We Blur” deal with bad bosses and upper management and how their lack of leadership and communication, coupled with zero signs of empathy towards others, can turn a great staff of workers into a really bad one. Sometimes you try pushing through the dark days, but eventually even that becomes way too much to handle. Working angry and bitter is not healthy for anyone. “All the voices tell me to ignore it, but my own won’t let it be; the air don’t care whose lungs it’s filling, so on we blur…” It’s an upbeat, in-your-face, contemporary track that features echolyn’s classic multi-part vocal harmonies, clever and intricate instrumental counterpoint, and infectious melodies you’ll be humming for days.You can watch the video for “On We Blur” here: https://youtu.be/oBgsNxjRehA
Rave reviews for both albums continue to roll in, with online music resources like Progressive Music Planet saying “echolyn have outdone themselves with not one but two amazing albums. Prog rock fans need to hear both of these albums. TimeSilentRadio vii features 7 classic wonderfully melodic tracks that harken back to the band’s rich history…while TimeSilentRadio II has two epic songs that rank with any classic prog-rock epics from the 70s. If you need proof that prog is alive and well, echolyn has the evidence.”Both new #TSR albums can be purchased on CD thru the band’s website echolyn.com (stateside in the US) and via multiple European & Japanese distributors overseas, or via digital download at echolyn.bandcamp.comTimeSilentRadio vii tracklist:1.Radio Waves 2.Silent Years 3.Cul-de-Sacs and Tunnels 4.Boulders on Hills 5.Our Brilliant Next 6.On We Blur 7.Tiny StarTimeSilentRadio II tracklist:1.Time Has No Place 2.Water in Our Hands
Recent album reviews by fans also continue to sing the praises of both TSR albums: “Music that echoes with some of the most beautiful, profound, and deeply contemplative emotions that exist within the human soul. When all that’s left is time, we reflect upon the past as we work through traumas and live for a beautiful tomorrow.” (Andy Ryan) “echolyn have been in my life since the 1990’s when I was blown away by ‘as the world.’ Ever since then they have continued to put out thoughtful, creative music but on these latest albums it’s like a rich gravy that has been reducing over a low flame. I am simply blown away by the taste, restraint, musicality and heart in this collection of songs. ‘Water in Our Hands’ is a fitting finale to an epic achievement.” (Jon Dahms) and “The two TSR albums are my favorite new music in 2025. The lyrics are great and the band is tight. I have recommended the albums to many of my friends, particularly musicians.” (Jim Peacock)
Echolyn is: Brett Kull – guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals Ray Weston – lead vocals, bass, backing vocals Chris Buzby – keyboards, backing vocals Jordan Perlson – drums & percussion, backing vocals
Almost thirty years ago, I picked up Charles Dickens’ first novel, The Pickwick Papers, more out of curiosity than anything, and immediately fell in love with it. I went ahead and spent the better part of a year reading all of his novels in the order of publication. Since then, I’ve reread Pickwick and his final complete novel, Our Mutual Friend, but not any others. I know that Bleak House often tops people’s lists of The Best Dickens Novels, and when I first read it, I thought it was very good, but not one of his best. I decided to give it another chance, and, once again, I find that I have a much greater appreciation for a book now that I am older.
The British group, Lifesigns, released a 2-disc live album recorded in the Netherlands back in 2023. Brad and Tad have a conversation about why this is a fantastic live album and why Lifesigns is a fantastic group.
Tad: Brad, I’m so glad you suggested we review this album. It’s been out a couple of years, but it didn’t get the attention it deserves. I became a fan of Lifesigns when they released Altitude in 2021, which was one of my favorite albums of that year. Live In The Netherlandsfeatures live renditions of almost that entire album, which is definitely a plus!
On listening to it, I am impressed with how well they replicate the studio versions of the songs, while adding a lot of energy.
Brad: Thanks so much, Tad. From what I can tell, Lifesigns is pretty huge in Europe but just does get enough attention here in the U.S. Our loss! Back when we were at Progarchy, John Young got ahold of me and let me know about Lifesigns. I knew about Young, of course–he’s a huge name in the prog and rock worlds–and I was honored, to be sure, to communicate with him. He’s not only a gentleman, but I believe he is truly a good, good soul. And, obviously, what a talent. So, I’ve been proudly following Lifesigns from the beginning, being introduced to them with their first amazing album, the self titled Lifesigns.
My first and lasting impression of that album is that it’s one of prog joy, much more closely related to, say, a Transatlantic album, than, say, Storm Corrosion. There’s a real beauty as well as real innocence to the music that I deeply admire.
When I say it’s related to Transatlantic, I don’t mean in sound, but in atmosphere. While I wouldn’t call Lifesigns a Christian band, I would say they’re most certainly not adverse to Christianity and all it entails. And, the fact that the openly Christian Dave Bainbridge is now a part of the band certainly doesn’t hurt this reputation. It’s definitely not an in-your-face Christianity like some of Neal Morse’s work tends to be, but rather music and lyrics inspired by Christianity. Again, the best way I can explain it is that Lifesigns radiates joy.
There’s also something humorous about what I just said. When I became Facebook friends with John Young, back in 2013, I also became friends with the first bassist of the band, Nick Beggs. Beggs, of course, is well known in the prog world, especially given his work with Steven Wilson. Almost immediately after I became friends with Beggs, he posted a number of pictures of himself in the buff. I will admit, I was utterly shocked and, in no uncertain terms, made my horror quite plain on social media! Ha. There’s a puritan streak in me, to be sure. Young, however, gently reprimanded Beggs and suggested this might not be the best way to introduce the band to the public. It all turned out well.
Tad: Brad, that is hilarious! Beggs is definitely a prankster, but he is an amazingly talented bassist.
Let’s talk about Lifesign’s Live In The Netherlands. It features an excellent playlist, with the first half of the show devoted to old favorites like “N” and “At the End of the World”. It’s the second half that really gets me excited, where they perform the entire Altitude album. They are an incredibly tight unit, and Dave Bainbridge really shines on guitar.
Like you, Altitude was a favorite of mine the year it came out, and I immediately picked up all of their other albums. I still think Altitude is their best, but they haven’t released a weak album to date. I love the title track, which runs a generous 15:49, but never lags. John Young does a fantastic job on keyboards and vocals. “Last One Home” is one of my all-time favorite songs, regardless of genre. I think it is just beautiful in its perfect melding of song and lyrics. The version on Live In The Netherlands is outstanding, with Bainbridge turning in a wonderful guitar solo reminiscent of Gilmour at his best.
It’s interesting you find Lifesigns reminding you of Transatlantic, and I can certainly hear that in terms of atmosphere, as you say. When I listen to Lifesigns, I am reminded of the classic prog band, UK – especially their eponymous debut album that featured Alan Holdsworth on guitar. I think it’s because Young’s vocals remind me of the late, great John Wetton’s. Also, Young’s melodies have a way of turning a phrase that brings to mind late ‘70s prog.
Anyway, I think for someone who enjoys melodic and uplifting prog, Lifesigns is hard to beat, and Live In The Netherlands is the perfect introduction to their music. It covers the best songs from their first two albums as well as including an excellent performance of their complete third album. Lifesigns doesn’t have much music on the streaming services, so I encourage people to support them by buying hard copies of their albums.
Brad: Tad, what a great analysis. I’d not thought of Lifesigns resembling late 1970s proggers like UK. Now that you’ve said that, I can’t unsee it. I think you’re absolutely right. Maybe John Young has a particular 1970s sound that I’ve never quite realized.
Again, for me, it’s best summed up as “joy” rather than overly precious or overly intricate or overly self-involved. For whatever reason, John Young and his music inspires me to be a better person, to approach my own art with a love of life and a gratitude for all that made my own life possible. Hence, I think of it as being Christian adjacent rather than out and out Christian. Again, we know Bainbridge’s Christianity, but if someone told me that Young was also serious about his faith, I wouldn’t be surprised.
And agreed, Lifesign’s three (only three!) studio albums are all excellent, and I very much love the two live releases. I suppose, if pushed, I would say that Lifesigns (the debut album from 2013) is my favorite, only because it was my introduction to them. In terms of quality of music and lyrics and vocals, I would rank all three equally. Again, this music just makes me want to be a better person.
We haven’t explicitly mentioned Cardington, and I would like to praise that album as well for being every bit the equal of Lifesigns and Altitude.
If I had one complaint, it would be that I want more Lifesigns music! Call me greedy, but I would love more than three albums over a decade. Still, I’m sure that John has a ton of things going on, so I’m deeply appreciative of what we do have.
Though I’d not thought of this as having a late 1970s sound until you mentioned it, I would love for more prog to have this feel and atmosphere to it. There are a hundred Radiohead and Porcupine Tree inspired bands, where are the John Young inspired bands? I would love more of this kind of music: classy and classic, beautifully constructed, and majestically orchestrated. The lyrics are perfect and compelling as is the music itself.
For me, Tad, Live in the Netherlands perfectly captures all of this. Indeed, in terms of sound quality, I’m especially impressed, as the live album sounds just like the studio release, despite being in an uncontrolled environment. I love the first set of older material and the second set of newer material. My only complaint is that all of the banter has been removed from the live release. I’m sure that John spoke to the audience, and I would love to know what he had to say. Specifically, given what a gentleman he is, I’m sure that he’s an excellent frontman.
John, Jon, Steve, Frank, and Dave: if you’re reading this, please know that you are loved, and my desire to have more music from you is meant in the best possible way. Thank you, hugely, for everything you’ve given us already. Now, we just need to get all Americans to listen to you. . . .
Tad: From your keyboard to John Young’s ears, Brad! Yes, I wish they released more music, because the contemporary music scene needs more like it. And, dear readers, you can find all of Lifesigns’ music and merchandise at https://lifesignsmusic.co.uk/. Check them out!
I was born in 1961, so a little more than half of my life was pre-internet (for me, the internet really began in 1995, when a new piece of software called Netscape was introduced). I remember how amazing email was before spammers got going, how fun the early “world-wide web” was, and how interesting and informative various bloggers were before Facebook, Twitter, and Google showed up and took over. There weren’t adblockers in the late 90s, because there weren’t many ads. I remember how furious we websurfers got when it was revealed that websites had these things called “cookies” that were sent to your browser, so they could track your history. What an invasion of privacy!
Those concerns seem quaint now. My daughter was born in 1994, and she has really not known any time when she couldn’t go online. She also knows that she has no privacy, and she goes on the internet with the expectation that everything she emails, posts on social media, and buys is seen and logged by someone or something. McKenzie Funk’s book, The Hank Show, is a biography of the man he holds responsible for first exploiting the financial potential of Big Data.
Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Meijer Gardens Amphitheatre, Grand Rapids, Michigan, September 5, 2025.
Over three decades, Alison Krauss has parleyed her singing and fiddling skills into an international career that (with the help of a Coen Brothers movie or two) brought bluegrass back to the masses and boosted her into an orbit of musical celebrity shared by few. But in the wake of her second collaboration with rock god Robert Plant, Krauss went back to her beginnings, reconvening her long-time band Union Station after a ten-year hiatus, with a new album and a six-month tour on the agenda. And that’s how, on the first genuinely chilly evening of Meijer Gardens’ concert season, Krauss and company wound up onstage in winter gear, getting down to business with relish, drawing a sold-out audience huddled beneath layers of Gore-Tex and fuzzy blankets toward their blossoming circle of musical warmth and light.
Not that Krauss & Union Station’s music is all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. The tunes featured from their new album Arcadia were about (in this order): loneliness; a factory fire disaster; loneliness again; a mysterious stranger terrorizing a small town; and getting shut down on the make. In fact, some of the most compelling vocal moments were the darkest – Krauss’ spooky solo turn on “Ghost In This House”, Russell Moore’s bone-chilling folk narrative “The Hangman”. And there was melancholy galore in the mainstays of the band’s back-catalog: “Every Time You Say Goodbye”, “Let Me Touch You For A While” (“our one sexy song”, according to Krauss), revamped 1970s soul classic “Now That I’ve Found You”, and a spare, devastating cover of Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground.”
But while sad songs say so much, they weren’t the only emotion on offer; for every heartbreaker, there was an anthem to survival and resilience like the new “One Ray of Shine” and the classic “Forget About It.” In these tunes especially, Krauss showed her consummate range and interpretive skill, pattering out the verses to draw us into the story, then launching into the high lonesome choruses (often cradled by Union Station’s understated vocal harmony) to finish the job. While that sweet, supple voice is Krauss’ foremost calling card, she’s also consistently savvy with her vocal gift, knowing how to blend in tart, savory, even spicy flavors as the music requires.
So there were humor and high spirits aplenty to set off all the sadness too. Whether commiserating with us about the weather (“You all look like Paw and Laura under the blankets in the back of the wagon”), or slyly teasing her bandmates (guitarist/banjo player/songwriter Ron Block was introduced as “our sexy librarian — and a recovering vegetarian”), Krauss combined downhome deadpan with a mischievous gleam in her eye whenever she addressed the audience. And when Union Station launched into hoedowns “Choctaw Hayride”, “Sawing On the Strings” and Bill Monroe’s “Cluck Old Hen”, she leaned right in, hunkering down on rhythm fiddle as Block, violin/mandolin wizard Stuart Duncan and dobro legend Jerry Douglas tore it up over Barry Bales’ resonating bass.
Douglas proved equally riveting in his extended solo spot, a weird and wonderful medley of Paul Simon’s brooding “American Tune” and Chick Corea’s festive “Spain”. Extra kudos go to Russell Moore as well: slotting into the male lead vocal spot formerly held by long-time stalwart Dan Tyminski, he brought home the bacon on both the back catalog and the upbeat “(Crazy ‘Bout A) North Side Gal” (which, in Krauss’ words, “covered three important topics – geographical location; mental wellness; and gender.”)
Ultimately, a concert by Alison Krauss & Union Station comes down to first-rate musicians playing and singing deceptively simple yet deeply affecting music, at the highest level of technical brilliance and visceral commitment, to stunning effect. But if anything, the extended encore, where the sextet gathered around a single microphone to harmonize with minimal instrumentation, sounded even richer depths. As the gentle love song “When You Say Nothing At All”, the weeper “Whiskey Lullaby”, the traditional spiritual “Down to the River to Pray” and Block’s moving confession of faith “There Is A Reason” wafted into the chill of the night, it settled over the rapt crowd like a bluegrass benediction to provide a thoroughly satisying finish. Put simply: hear and see them live if you can.
I’ve become a big fan of Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled novels featuring his private eye, Philip Marlowe. I previously reviewed his fourth book, The Lady In The Lake, and The Little Sister, published in 1949, continues Chandler’s bleak and disillusioned perspective on the seamy side of Los Angeles and its surrounding towns.
It opens with Marlowe alone in his office, when a woman calls him on the phone, asking him to find her missing brother. He insists on seeing her in person, which she resists, but eventually gives in. She is Orfamay Quest, and, as Marlowe describes her,
She was a small, neat, rather prissy-looking girl with primly smooth brown hair and rimless glasses. RAYMOND CHANDLER. The Little Sister (Kindle Locations 229-230). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.
She has come all the way out to California from Manhattan, Kansas, because her brother, Orrin – who, she assures Marlowe, would never get into any kind of trouble – stopped sending weekly letters to her and their mother. Marlowe is naturally suspicious of Orfamay’s story, but he agrees to take on her case for twenty dollars.
What follows is a very complicated situation involving mobsters from Cleveland, corrupt cops, Hollywood B-listers, a doctor who supplies them with drugs, and a murderer who likes to kill by stabbing his (or her) victims in the neck with an ice pick. Suffice it to say that no one is particularly innocent and Marlowe’s natural cynicism is fully justified.
And yet, even in the most dangerous and tempting circumstances, Marlowe clings to his code of honor: refusing to take bribes, stating the truth to the police even when it puts himself in danger, and resisting the blandishments of a beautiful Hollywood actress. He knows he won’t get rewarded for his virtue, but like a medieval knight pledged to behave chivalrously, he never gives in.
As in The Lady In The Lake, one of my favorite ingredients of Chandler’s style is his deadpan humor. Here are a few examples:
I got my wallet out and handed him one of my business cards. He read it thoughtfully and tapped the edge against his porcelain crown. “He coulda went somewhere without telling me,” he mused. “Your grammar,” I said, “is almost as loose as your toupee.” “You lay off my toupee, if you know what’s good for you,” he shouted. “I wasn’t going to eat it,” I said. “I’m not that hungry.” He took a step towards me, and dropped his right shoulder. A scowl of fury dropped his lip almost as far. “Don’t hit me. I’m insured,” I told him. “Oh hell. Just another screwball.” He shrugged and put his lip back up on his face. RAYMOND CHANDLER. The Little Sister (Kindle Locations 571-577). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.
A fat man in sky-blue pants was closing the door with that beautiful leisure only fat men ever achieve. He wasn’t alone, but I looked at him first. He was a large man and wide. Not young nor handsome, but he looked durable. Above the sky-blue gabardine slacks he wore a two-tone leisure jacket which would have been revolting on a zebra. The neck of his canary-yellow shirt was open wide, which it had to be if his neck was going to get out. He was hatless and his large head was decorated with a reasonable amount of pale salmon-colored hair. His nose had been broken but well set and it hadn’t been a collector’s item in the first place. RAYMOND CHANDLER. The Little Sister (Kindle Locations 1364-1368). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.
The boss mortician fluttered around making elegant little gestures and body movements as graceful as a Chopin ending. His composed gray face was long enough to wrap twice around his neck. RAYMOND CHANDLER. The Little Sister (Kindle Locations 2162-2163). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.
And, of course, there are plenty of wonderfully descriptive similes to set the mood:
Her voice was as cool as boarding-house soup. RAYMOND CHANDLER. The Little Sister (Kindle Location 683). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.
She had a low lingering voice with a sort of moist caress in it like a damp bath towel. RAYMOND CHANDLER. The Little Sister (Kindle Locations 795-796). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.
I smelled Los Angeles before I got to it. It smelled stale and old like a living room that had been closed too long. RAYMOND CHANDLER. The Little Sister (Kindle Locations 1338-1339). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.
I took the wrinkles out of my lips and said aloud: “Hello again. Anybody here needing a detective?” Nothing answered me, not even a stand-in for an echo. The sound of my voice fell on silence like a tired head on a swansdown pillow. RAYMOND CHANDLER. The Little Sister (Kindle Locations 2985-2987). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.
Either you love this stuff, or you don’t. I think it’s great – despite Marlowe’s world-weariness, he loves LA and the losers who populate its seediest neighborhoods. He knows one man can’t make much difference in the world, but he never gives up trying.
Chandler wrote The Little Sister after he had had some very frustrating experiences as a screenwriter in Hollywood, and his contempt for Tinseltown is as clear as a bell. (Or maybe like “two dead fish in the silt at the bottom of a drained pool”, to borrow a simile!) The plot is difficult to unravel at times, and just when I thought I had things figured out, he throws a curveball to surprise. That said, the ending is very good, and I would rank The Little Sister as one of Chandler’s best.
This has been a schizophrenic week for me. The beauty of a new semester and teaching things that really matter, the gorgeous early Autumnal weather, and the horrors of a Mass shooting in Minnesota. The latter has really, really affected me.
So, here I am on a Saturday morning, trying to reconcile all these things, and music becomes the medicine.
I’ve been writing the praises of contemporary composer Kevin Keller for years now. It has been fascinating to see his evolution from an extremely talented “ambient” composer/musician into one of the most vital and engaging classical music composers in America.
Keller’s Evensong, which was released in 2023, was a beautiful set of chamber choir pieces. He has just released its sequel, Arcadia, which primarily features the vocals of Sofia Campoamor, backed by a small choir and piano with string trio. As is usual with Keller, he augments this traditional musical setting with discreet and tasteful electronic touches. There simply is no other contemporary composer who can combine ancient musical styles and instrumentation with 21st century electronics as skillfully and satisfyingly as Kevin Keller.
All of the songs in Arcadia are sung in Latin, which creates a reverent and calming atmosphere throughout. The opening track, Arcadia 1, is “Et Vidi Caelum” (“And I Saw the Sky”). Hushed acapella vocals begin the song and are soon joined by various acoustic and electronic instruments. As the melody develops slowly and deliberately, the listener is transported into a state of bliss. I know I’m sounding hyperbolic, but this is some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. The only thing I can compare it to is Thomas Tallis’ “Spem In Alium” or some of J. S. Bach’s fugues.
The second track, “Et Nox Ultra” (“And Night Is Over”) is a sprightly and wordless chant with a rhythmic bed of synths. It is full of anticipation for a new day. Arcadia 3, “Me Solum Me Invenio” (“I find myself alone”) is, appropriately, sung by Ms. Campoamor solo while accompanied by Keller on organ.
Kevin Keller and Sofia Campoamor
In Arcadia 4, “In Tenebris” (“In darkness”), the choir returns to sing a gentle lullaby accompanied by piano and string trio. As this song progresses, it becomes more insistent in its rhythm, but it maintains its control. It is one of the longer tracks at 6:22, and there is a beautiful, long coda that brings it to rest.
Arcadia 5 is “Mare, Littus, Flammam” (“Sea, Shore, Flame”), and you can hear waves gently washing ashore as Ms. Campoamor sings a melody that, to my ears, is full of longing. Her vocal is supported by a cello and soft electronics.
My favorite track is Arcadia 6: “In Equo Fugit” (“She flees on horseback”). It is introduced by a gentle pulse that is soon joined by the choir who sing an extraordinarily beautiful melody. I’m having a hard time conveying how delightful Keller’s music is here – it really is ineffable!
The final two tracks are “Et Lux Perpetua” (“And Eternal Light”) and “Veni Intus” (“Come Inside”) They bring our journey to a close with a very satisfying sense of returning to the comfort of a beloved sanctuary.
There is something very timely about the art Keller is creating these days. We live in such contentious times, which are exacerbated by social and news media. Arcadia is a balm for the souls of people who need a respite from the 24/7 anxiety that our contemporary culture has a tendency to induce.
Spending 37 minutes listening to Kevin Keller’s Arcadia is a great way to reset oneself – it is restorative and reminds us that true beauty still exists. I admire how Keller utilizes centuries-old forms of music to compose and perform new and refreshing music. He recognizes the precious worth of classic art, while building on it and adding his unique and immediately recognizable style. Here’s hoping Arcadia sparks a renaissance in contemporary classical music. Keller is planting a seed that promises to bear fruit to a world that is starved for music with lasting substance and beauty.
Arcadia is produced and performed by Kevin Keller. Sofia Campoamor sings lead vocals, while Katherine Wessinger, Danya Katok, and Wendy Baker form the choir. Sarah Zun plays violin, Angela Pickett viola, and Laura Metcalf cello.
Spirit of Cecilia 
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