Clay Green's Polysorbate Masquerade Band: Chronicles Of Bubbledroid

This is another one of those CDs where I had no idea what to expect. A weird title from an even weirder band name and one I had never heard of before. The band consists of two musicians; Clay Green (acoustic and electric guitars), Edward Richard (bass, electric guitar, organ, keyboards) and Bubbledroid (DNA sequencing, arrangements, drums and percussion). In case you were wondering, Bubbledroid is the name of the duo's drum machine.

If you dig instrumental progressive rock ala the '70s, with a dash of bands like Van Der Graaf Generator, King Crimson and Gentle Giant, sprinkled with a dusting of jazz fusion, you will probably want to hear Chronicles Of Bubbledroid. It may not be an instant classic but the musicianship is there in spades and the songs are well executed. Both guitar and keyboards get equal billing with some excellent lead and rhythms throughout the disc. I did find it somewhat amusing when Green states in the liner notes "And keep in mind, the best part of the Polysorbate Masquerade Band is that It's completely instrumental!" Yes, progressive rock does have its share of iffy vocalists!

The tracks vary in length from less than a minute to over eight with many being of the shorter variety. Some of the shorter tunes, like the intriguing "Sixty-Eight" with its pulsating bass line I wish were developed a bit more musically. In other words, some of these tracks end too quickly.

The album begins with "Saturn's Orbit", a nice slice of jazzy flavoured retro prog. Included are some biting guitar lines and pretty cool bass as well. The guitar work is very good, as it is on the entire album. The album also has some pretty good melodies such as "Dry Suites 94" featuring a sweet keyboard motif and excellent organ work. Another highlight is "Time Sun" with its delicate acoustic guitar, exceptional organ play and off kilter electric guitar patterns.

At over seventy-nine minutes long and eleven bonus tracks, the album may be a bit long in the tooth, but for the most part Chronicles Of Bubbledroid is a fine listen and am glad to have made its acquaintance. Recommended for fans of instrumental progressive rock with a heavy '70s flavour.

Track Listing:
1. Saturn's Orbit (5:57)
2. Frog Boy (2:10)
3. Time Sun (Intro) (0:40)
4. Time Sun (5:11)
5. Shuffle Butt's Slow Down (1:19)
6. Sixty-Eight (2:14)
7. Broken Mirror With Sand (2:40)
8. Dry Suites 94 (7:07)
9. Groovy Paste (1:01)
10. Pusso (3:33)
11. Beeple on Top of a Bridge (3:09)
12. Rough Landing (0:57)
Bonus Tracks:
13. Piazz (4:51)
14. Here (1:57)
15. Return of Episode Xanadu (3:05)
16. Thanks! (8:42)
17. Masp (4:23)
18. The Zoo (4:39)
19. Plan 2 (1:44)
20. Looking Back (4:03)
21. Lost at Sea (Part I) (Edited) (0:59)
22. Lost at Sea (Part II) (6:05)
23. New Sheen (2:13)

Added: June 20th 2013
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1810
Language: english

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