ONES & ZEROS - VOLUME 1

The first time I heard Ones and Zeros by 3rDegree, I liked it. I was in my car. I thought it was good, and despite the distractions of being on the road I even found myself recalling good musical hooks and hummable melodies. However, it wasn't until I actually put on a good pair of headphones and sat down for 50 uninterrupted minutes with the lyrics (in a well-lit room -- those suckers are small on the CD) that the beauty of the album became clear.

Anyone who hears the album will not be hard pressed to find a common thread among the songs that touches on things like the quantifiable nature of consciousness as computer data, the quality of life improvements afforded by technology, the drive for life extension, and the incredible innovations of science. Or, if you're looking at it from a different viewpoint, the futility of trying to replicate the human soul, the greedy capitalism of unchecked biotech research, and the selfishness of those who would live forever on the backs of those who can not afford the necessary technology. In short, this music will have you pondering some pretty deep stuff.

Speaking of the music directly -- this album is a very engaging (challenging?) amalgam of art rock, traditional prog, power pop, and jazz fusion with notes of math rock and even electronica. This keeps everything flowing from song to song without dwelling too long on any one texture, and serves up curve balls that keep the listener engaged. One other thing that was interesting to me was that upon subsequent listens I was able to pick out subtleties I hadn't noticed previously, which made it even more interesting. This album is certainly one that grows on you.

Since this is Volume 1, I assume Volulme 2 will be forthcoming, and I'm looking forward to that one as well. I'm curious about what other topics will be covered, and I hope it will be an extension of the excellent vibe captured on this first one.