BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC

The musical content is an instrumental venture into the evocation of sounds and voices of mesozoic life forms (whatever they might have sounded like, that's why tou need to be conducted by the musicians fantasy). You will find here classics from their almost unknown repertoire, including the emblematic "Ptoccata", as well as a tip to their early academic influences with "(Excerpts from) The Rite of Spring" of Igor Stravinsky.

I find the live batch less appealing, but, by the moment you get there, probably it won't matter to you.

BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC was one of the stranger bands that emerged from the already bizarre avant-prog world of the anything goes experimental 70s. The band was formed from the ashes of the Boston, MA based post-punk band Moving Parts when vocalist / keyboardist Erik Lindgren and vocalist / guitarist Roger Miller teamed up to create what the Boston Globe described as "classical-punk-jazz-car-wreck music." Miller is better known for his other post-punk creation Mission of Burma which was formed in 1979 but BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC which has always been considered a side project has been an influential and revered musical creation in the avant-prog underground.

The music has been almost exclusively instrumental over the years and although the band has been associated with the rock world for good reason as they managed to play side by side with three chord rockers in the early years, the band members were more influenced by the likes of Igor Stravinsky and Brian Eno than the traditional guitar, bass and drum bands of the era and this is extremely evident on the band's short self-titled debut EP which features five tracks that focus more on avant-classical piano rolls and motorik rhythmic percussive drives in the vein of Neu! At this stage the band was a quartet with Rick Scott (Farfisa, percussion, piano) and Martin Swope on guitar but honestly the guitar parts are limited to strange feedback noise and avant-garde techniques.

This is a weird little collection of music for sure. It begins with the classic Krautrock motorik percussive beat but is joined by a slightly skewed mix of jazz meets piano runs but infinitely more melodic than the brooding dissonance and chaotic swirls of noise that erupt in "Drift" which despite starting off with a similar piano run quickly breaks down into a cacophonous maelstrom of guitar feedback and pointillistic Stockhausen inspired piano stabs as well as other weirdness. "The Orange Ocean" returns to Earth and provides some stellar piano workouts with chamber orchestration that sounds more like traditional classical music than anything else on the EP.

This debut EP was only released once in 1983 on vinyl but now appears with the band's first full-length "Magnetic Flip" and the second EP "Beat of the Mesozoic" on the compilation "Dawn of the Cycads." This is one of my favorite avant-prog bands of the 80s. They didn't sound like anyone else and had a consistent run of avant-garde albums all throughout the 80s and are alive and well in the 21st century. While this debut EP isn't exactly the most essential of their output, it's a decent batch of early recordings that prognosticated the band's extreme sophistication that followed.

3.5 rounded down

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, 2003, "The Iridium Controversy " is kind of forgotten, even though they come from the USA, which usually brings on a wider audience. Nevertheless completely understandable, considering the kind of non-stop intensity this guys usually handle, but mainly because their contemporary classical music roots, which sets them apart in this sub-genre's different stylings. So just to paint a clear picture, their musical "structures" stand closer to the latter Universe Zero's or Art Zoyd's (although not that "serious"), than Zappa's or The Residents' or Zamla's.

All of this of course, without losing the "humor" (but not caring really that much) or the "idiosincracies" of this sub- genre. Their songs run free in different and varied directions, but the intensity in each enhances their very structured musical language as composition and performance go.

What to expect? For starters completely "instrumental", then, composition-wise: "Bartokian" counterpointing like rhythms, clear references to Steve Reich's "micro-minimalism", lots of free-Jazz and electronics, with some howling electric guitars and saxes. Blended with punk and rock and classical music lines, some "dark-ambiental" moments, as some unorthodox "latin" flavors, mixed up with a unique and original style that never runs dry of musical ideas, creativity or proposals.

****4.5 "intense, intense, non-stop RiO/AV", PA stars.

Not for everyone, but "gold" for those who enjoy this kind of trips!

P.D. And of course the deserving Roger Dean art cover pays for itself!

A collaboration that most people would have never thought should have happened. From what I could gather, Oral Moses is a well renowned bass baritone singer, who I never heard of before this record, deeply rooted in the gospel/spiritual/slave song/similar type of musics scene, none of which fit nicely with Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic's avant-garde classical electronic rock type of thing. Yet, here are the two sides, firmly smashed together. First things first, all of these songs are covers of traditional spirituals. Granted, aside from the singing you can't tell, but this really isn't a true blue new Birdsongs work. And the results, for me, are more hilarity than brilliance. Oral is singing very seriously throughout the disc, and at least on the songs that I know, rather straight forward and in line with how the songs are generally sung. The music, on the other hand, is more or less the exact opposite of traditional. Strange synthetic sounds, drum machines, electronic drifts, lots of keyboard happenings, an oddly tuneful sax and a general experimental (at times a peuso-experimental) atmosphere back Mr. Moses. The juxtaposition between the new (technology and experimentation) and old (singing and the songs themselves) is the greatest strength of this album. However, that is not enough to really save it.

Honestly, the first time I heard this record there was a good deal of laughing. The way Oral's vocals don't fit the music at all (or the way the music doesn't fit the vocals at all) is at times to much to take as a serious entity. At times it almost sounds like they were trying to get the listener to laugh, which from reading the liner notes certainly wasn't the intent of BOTM or Oral Moses. And most of the time it sounds like they clipped the vocals from a true (or regular) version of the songs and just substituted in music from a completely different source. Sure, at times the sax will play the melody, but that quickly passes and the band goes it's own way. On the surface, this style isn't a problem for me, and could be excellent. But there is a bigger problem here. There are instances where it sounds like the band is holding back, where they could be doing more to fill out the space. The result is music that sound very thin at times, almost as if it's unfinished, or they forgot to mix in another couple of tracks into the song. Maybe Birdsongs didn't want to overstep their bounds, but really, taking on a project such as this is bound to step on some toes along the way, so you might as well go all out. Now there are some positives here. Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho is quite nice. The music finally seems to be firing on nearly all cylinders and gets the listeners attention. The same could be said for most of the final song Amen. Unfortunately, it does suffer from being a little bit of the cheesy side in the middle bits. And Oral's voice is very nice and the deep tones could be rather soothing in the right context. Sure, it doesn't really fit with the music, but it can stand on it's own.

All in all, this is a curious page in the book of Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic. For an entirely instrumental band to go out and find a bass baritone singer and do an entire album of religious covers, is something I'm sure no one expected them to do. I just wish this was more successful and I wish the music was fuller. The humor aspect also loses something over repeated listens, although I still laugh uncontrollably during Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray. I also hope this isn't the last Birdsongs album, because this would really be a low note to go out on. There is really nothing for prog fans to grab onto here, other than, perhaps, the mixing of two things that usually aren't mixed. Needless to say, if you don't like your lyrics to be saturated with Christian themes, don't even think about this record. Similarly, if you like your music smooth and consonant, you could skip this one as well. Really, this is only for fans of the band who want to hear them in another light. A good idea that wasn't executed as well as it could have been. 2 stars.

The only elements reminiscent of their punk past is the short and snappy nature of the tracks presented. And of course the anarchistic attitude towards music which is as strong in RIO as it is in punk. The quality of the pieces is a bit of a problem though. The opening 15 minutes that are vibrant and sweeping, but from Chariots of Fire onwards, the pace slows down and the musicianship gets more subdued. It's an almost ambient and minimalistic style that doesn't seem to fit the band too well and doesn't produce much memorable material.

The title track tries to stir things up again but the damage is done. The album shrinks to mere background music, which is not what you want from your RIO. Overall, the album is interesting enough to find out more about this band, but the next one will have to be better.

My introduction to this band was their "Sonic Geology", which is a compilation of their earlier stuff. And liked their peculiar style, which is why I wanted to know more about them. A couple of weeks ago I found this self titled EP, which is actually their first release ever, so here the roots of the band can be appreciated.

This EP was released in 1983 and features only five songs, with a total time of 16 minutes. What you will find here, is a combination of avant-garde music with some kind of post-punk, interesting.

And that can be heard since the very first song "Sound Valentine" where a piano sound appears along with some kind of electronic drums, creating a tense atmosphere that in moments turns dark, the song is short and the structure is the same, but sounds interesting. Let me tell you that here you will find a purely instrumental album.

The next three songs are really short; they do not reach the 3 minutes. First there is "Transformation of Oz" where a piano and a farfisa appear interplaying with those electronic drums; it could be used as a soundtrack of either a terror or a science fiction movie. Next is "Drift" whose sound is softer and gentler in the first minute, later a kind of synth enters and adds some strange noises as background, creating again a nervous or tense atmosphere. "The Orange Ocean" has an addictive piano sound all over the song, the good thing are the elements they add throughout it, like some kind of cello that creates a beautiful sound, it is a pity the song is too short.

And this EP finishes with its longest song (six minutes) entitled "Triassic Jurassic Cretaceous" which again has that electronic drums that actually remind me to some Tuxedomoon passages. There are plenty of odd noises here that can drive you crazy, but at the same time can put you in an intriguing even exciting mood. Those strange sounds create some images in your mind that could lead you to an imaginary story, but that's only me, who like inventing stories while listening to music.

This is not the best introduction to the band, but if you want to listen to their first steps, you can get this self-titled EP. I like it and enjoy it every time I listen to it, but I do not really consider it could be actually recommendable, so I believe two stars is the correct rating, it is good, but just for fans?anyway

Enjoy it!

Indy labels were the protectors of the spirit of prog. Boston's Ace Of Hearts Records found a truly unique band, born from the ashes of the punk band, Mission Of Burma. Billing themselves as electric chamber music, this band had more in common with Henry Cow than the Sex Pistols. Using a combination of guitar, piano, organ, synthesizers, a drum machine, and anything they could bang on, Birdsongs successfully created their own style, a curious blend of rock and avant garde classical.

Not to be missed on this record are (excerpts from) The Rite Of Spring and a wild version of The Theme From Rocky And Bullwinkle. The rest of the album is great. too.

The songs on this EP are mostly short, and the drums were primarily done on a rhythm machine, the precursor to synthesized drums. But the music is spectacular. Electric chamber music, as the band described it. Mostly angular compositions, very heavily weighted towards acoustic piano, but about as avant-garde as a band can get.

And my EP (perchased when the record was first released) still has the cut out mesozoic diorama, making it extra cool.

If you can find this rarity, it's quite worth it.

Anyway, this EP perfectly captures the spirit and creativity of this bizarre chamber rock group. Blending RIO, electronic, classical, and just about any oddball sound they could find, Birdsongs created their own genre.

Highly recommended.

This collection is culled from the band's original vinyl releases, all classics. The sound quality is a bit rough, and the rhythm section is held together by a cheesy drum machine. But that doesn't keep the band from creating some fantastic music. The majority of the tracks are built upon simple, but unconventional licks, repeated and built on until they reach a frenzy. And the highlights to me are two cover tunes, an amazing version of the theme somg from Rocky & Bullwinkle, and excerpts from Stravinsky's Rites of Spring.