OZ URUGULU

Right from the bright, bouncy, opening notes of "Cartoon Holocaust", you know that this isn't your run-of-the-mill prog band, even if all the standard technical know-how is there. Indeed, there's far more in common with Frank Zappa or Steve Vai's comedic musings in here than the sombre and straight-faced outputs of, say, ELP or King Crimson. Influence from Steve Vai can definitely be heard in the follow-up track, "When I Was 17", with its namesake 17/8 rhythm, technical metal shredding, and jazz breakdowns. The performances by the whole band are tight, and they confidently show their mastery of manipulating music theory to make it subject to their whims, as does Vai. That isn't to say that Öz Ürügülü is a Vai clone, or a mere tribute band; they definitely delve into deeper dimensions on "Forgotten Archives". Öz Ürügülü shows their versatility at blending their quirky prog style with more contemporary electronic music in "Collateral Tanzbein", and later work such exotic instruments as the Saz (not to be confused with the sax) into the mix. Altogether, there's no shortage of original ideas to be found here, and plenty of fascinating timbres to be enjoyed.

Öz Ürügülü's debut is one of those tongue-in-cheek albums that has a big grin plastered across the whole affair. As such, it makes for a very welcome respite from the dark, edgy cliches that are saturating the genre nowadays. Having said that, the album's quirkiness does take a bit of a toll on its replayability for me; this isn't something I'd put in regular rotation, but it's still an odd treat to indulge in from time to time. Definitely one to check out for those who love humour in their music, and anyone looking for something a little (or very) different. Not one of the landmark releases of the past 5 years, but a very good one; 3 stars.