PETROPHONICS

Rating: C+

One of the greatest strengths of avant-garde music is its diversity. It can cover any and every style, so long as it approaches that style with the right mindset. In the case of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, that style is electronic jazz (at least on Petrophonics), and its quite exciting, to say the least. It's catchy, accessible, quirky, and fun, but it's not easy listening by any means. I've not (yet) heard anything but Petrophonics, but it's undeniably a strong CD, an excellent example of beauty in avant-garde music.

It immediately grabs the listener with the pounding intro to "Petrophonics", which mixes electronic beats with a fantastic keyboard line. "Petrophonics" never lets up from that intro, even as it moves into a softer section with gorgeous flute. One of the most concise, powerful pieces of music I know, "Petrophonics" gets the CD off to a fantastic start. Unfortunately, Petrophonics (the CD this time) never again reaches those heights. It's never bad - in fact, it's quite good - so it would be wrong to say that Petrophonics blows its load in the title track, but it remains far tamer than the wild opener would suggest.

Unfortunately, that leaves the listener somewhat disappointed on first listen, even though songs such as "Ptoccata 2" truly are beautiful. On future listens this problem vanishes, but there is still one key flaw with the CD, and that is the all-too-prevalent problem that it's overlong. While there are plenty of CDs that can sustain themselves for sixty-six minutes, and this one does a fair job of it, but it's pretty easy to see that ten minutes (at least) could have been chopped off without hurting the quality of the CD (indeed, it would improve the quality). Suffice it to say, Petrophonics simply isn't diverse enough to sustain itself for that long. At times, it seems to repeat itself, and there are enough moments where it feels dead, as if the musicians are searching for ideas and forgetting their audience, that such moments become distracting.

All of that said, Petrophonics is still a good CD, and from what I've read, it isn't even their best. Anybody who appreciates jazz music and who likes his (or her) music quirky and fun would do well to look into this group, and Petrophonics is generally engaging and consistent enough to serve as a good introduction. It's certainly not an essential listen, but it's worth pulling out every few months to revisit.

After Roger Miller's departure in 1987, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic had to reshape the extensive use of keybord inputs, given the fact that a new member was coming to be in charge of saxes and flute. This external modification coincided with a reformulation of the writing strategy for the forthcoming repertoire: the new strategy was more orchestral, with a major presence of harmony and melody. This release from the predominantly pulsational approach during the Miller-era came to its fruition in the band's 2000 effort "Petrophonics". What an amazing way to bid farewell to the old millennium! This album is not only beautiful in itself, but also a masterpiece in the current age of avat-prog. The namesake opener states an agile cadence, experimental yet undeniably warm. The mood shifts in the interlude serve as an entrance in solemn sounds, a bit somber, never overwhelming. 'Ptoccata II' is notoriously denser, to a certain degree, related to "Uzed"-era Univers Zero. 'One Hundred Cycles" and 'Nevergreen' adopt, with different levels of intensity, peculiar Latin jazz-based textures in order to state a colorful approach to teh standards of chamber-rock. Field's sax deliveries trace effective solos upon the bases established by the other musicians: the guitar sets eerie textures here and there. When we come to 'One Hundred Cycles' we find some funny turntable scratch effects, yet they're used not fr rhythmic purposes but as adornments for the harmonic developments. 'Nevergreen' is patently darker, but once the rhythm frame is properly stated by the combination of percussions and piano, the guitar and sax are ready to deliver their solos in a lyrical approach. 'Study of Unintended Consequences' is the album's first manifestation of abstract sonorities: totally disjointed, it is minimally focused on languid, creepy ambiences. After this display of spectral mystery, the Latin jazz element returns in 'Birdhead', after which the zigzaggin repertoire brings back some of the preceding foggy spirit for 'Allswell that Endswell in Roswell'. Unlike track 5, 'Allswell...' bears a defined composition. The last 27 minutes of the album are occupied by two Eric Lindgren-penned multi-part suites. 'Music Inspired by 1001 Real Apes' starts in a very relaxing manner, bucolic and mysterious at once, before arriving to a pulsational second section. Section 3 'Gravity Theme' sets yet another exercise on latin jazz-based avant-prog - who says that RIO can't be mobing and candid? The section's conclusive piano phrases are segued into the last one, which sets a sort of mdernized Magma vibe. This suite is almost a refurbishment of the old BOTM instilled into the new BOTM's line of work. The other suite, 'The Insidious Revenge of Ultima Thule', reflects the band's taste for loose dynamics. There is the tribal starting section adorned with flute flourishes and guitar layers; the second section is eerie and introspective; the last section makes a dramatic turn into creepy atmospheres, somewhat akin to "Heresie"-era Univers Zero and Shub-Niggurath. In conclusion: "Petrophonics" is a clear testimony of the enhanced versatility achieved by BOTM, and also a testimony of real vitality for RIO in the new millennium.