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Birdsongs of the Mesozoic: Dawn of the Cycads

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic formed almost thirty years ago as an offshoot of the art-punk band Mission of Burma. The original members Roger Miller (grand piano, Yamaha CP-70, piano, organ, percussion) and Erik Lindgren (Minimoog, Memorymoog, rhythm machines, percussion) soon added Rick Scott (Farfisa, DX-7 synth, percussion, piano) and Martin Swope (guitar, percussion). This is a sprawling 2 disc set composed of the Ace of Heart recordings released in the 80s. This is another one of those bands that are not easily described. To my ears this music is a combination of RIO/esoteric rock, classical music, and a dose of minimal and ambient soundscapes interwoven together to form a chaotic and dissonant musical palette. At times their chaotic approach to songwriting is softened by the addition of some nice melodies and quieter passages. The myriad of keyboards used create waves of warm and cold sounding textures with an emphasis on electronic sounds. There is nothing mainstream about this band and they definitely earn high marks for creativity and originality. That being said not everything hits the mark with me. I had trouble absorbing some of the more avant garde tunes that had a high degree of 'noise' or were devoid of melody. Thankfully more often than not, even the more adventuresome songs are quite listenable.

For those of you who appreciate excellent piano work there are many songs that should satisfy you. I particularly like the piano melody in the disc's first song "Sound Valentine", a fairly accessible slice of modern piano music. The dreamy "The Orange Ocean" probably has the nicest melody with it's rolling piano and what sounds like a lovely violin solo. The dramatic sounding "Ptoccata" almost carries a symphonic vibe with the build up of drums and guitar all the while maintaining a strong piano melody throughout. Its nice to hear the guitar used more extensively which adds some kick to the music.

"Lost in the B-Zone" starts the second cd with an aggressive beat and waves of synths and repetitive piano chords. The drums and percussion provide an intense rhythm that slowly builds to a climax. "Waterwheel" takes a more ambient approach at the beginning with droning guitar chords and wistful piano and keys making this one of the highlights for me. Farfisa organ and piano dominate "Excavation No. 32" providing a circus flair until the sporadic drums start and a cacophony of sound ensues. The highly melodic "Scenes From a…" is a keyboard drenched number with a middle ambient section including a spoken word segment that adds a touch of variety along with distant sounding percussion making this another favourite. The last few songs are live recordings taken from the Nightstage concert in Cambridge.

So there it is in a nutshell. This disc provides a good overview of their 80s material with some live music thrown in for good measure. Although I did not like everything presented her, there is enough good stuff to warrant more listens. If you like keyboard based music that reaches past the norm and into the realm of avant garde you will probably want to give it a listen. Definitely a good fit for Cuneiform Records.


Track Listing:
CD 1
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic EP (1983)
1. Sound Valentine (3:19)
2. Transformation of Oz (2:25)
3. Drift (2:39)
4. The Orange Ocean (2:31)
5. Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous (6:19)


Magnetic Flip (1984)
6. Shiny Golden Snakes (3:07)
7. Ptoccata (3:23)
8. (Excerpts from) The Rite of Spring (6:50)
9. International Tours (2:54)
10. Terry Riley's House (4:03)
11. Theme from Rocky and Bullwinkle (1:30)
12. The Tyger (3:20)
13. The Fundamental (2:51)
14. Bridge Underwater (5:26)
15. Chen/The Arousing (2:13)
16. Final Motif (4:02)
Bonus Tracks
17. Pulse Piece (3:17)
18. The Common Sparrow (4:56)
19. POP Triassic (3:30)


CD 2
Beat of the Mesozoic (1986)
1. Lost in the B-Zone
2. Waterwheel (3:57)
3. Excavation No. 32 (3:09)
4. Scenes From a … (5:06)
5. The Beat of the Mesozoic, part 1 (5:35)


Between Fires (1987)
6. Jay Reeg Intro (:54)
7. Carbon 14 (4:35)
8. Chariots of Fire (3:01)
9. Lqabblil Insanya (4:44)
10. Modern Warfare (3:44)
11. Slo-Boy (4:02)
12. Laramide Revolution (6:05)
13. Pulse Piece (4:40)

Added: February 26th 2009
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1894
Language: english

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