CREATURES

NYC's Zappa tribute band turns toward their own creations. Praise the Lord!

1. "All This Time" (6:26) great melodies and tight, not-too flashy song structure and soli. (9/10)

2. "Creatures" (7:40) hooks you in right from the opening weave, but then goes into STEELY DAN-like territory with its stripped down vocal motif. The best passages are those with instrumental exhibitions: I love the tuned percussion (xylophone) inputs--especially how they are mirrored by the electric guitar. (13.25/15)

3. "The Celestial Metal Can (In memory Of Charles Ives)" (8:18) very odd, experimental musical collage of electronically produced, induced, or reduced sounds that only gain the semblance of what we would call "music" at the end of the fourth minute--and then only barely treading water above the confluence of urban-jungle cacophony. I get it, but it is the song that weighs this album's overall rating down. Very 21st Century Varèse-Stockhausen-ish. (16.75/20)

4. "Gagutz" (7:56) reminds me of RIO/avant-UNIVERS ZERO/UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA. I love the JEAN-LUC PONTY-like violin solo! (13.5/15)

5. "Waterfall Carnival" (21:13) a prog epic that really works: it doesn't try to over-impress, as so many Neo-prog bands try (e.g. Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, The Flower Kings, The Tangent). (35.5/40)

Total Time: 51:33

Having gone back in time into Frogg Café's back catalogue since the acquisition of 2010's wonderful Bateless Edge, I have become quite fond of their epynomously titled debut and this one, Creatures. The songs on this album have a bit more consistency and cohesiveness--unlike the chameleon-like changing of styles with each song on Bateless Edge. I can hear the influence of both Frank Zappa and jazz fusion--even some ECHOLYN.

4.5 stars; a near masterpiece of progressive rock music.