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Birdsongs of the Mesozoic — The Iridium Controversy
(Cuneiform Rune 179, 2003, CD)

The Iridium Controversy Cover art

This new offering from my favorite prehistoric animal noise group certainly lives up to the high standards of their previous releases, and over the long term may turn out to be one of my favorites. As on previous outings, Erik Lindgren is responsible for composing about half the album, though all members’ contributions are of high quality and remarkably consistent stylistically, with angular ostinati (usually on piano) that remind me of Bartok, unpredictable melodies (usually on sax), highly rhythmic passages (percussion and who knows what else), and interjections of noise (usually on guitar) to keep it from getting too pretty. On many of their previous albums, they’ve included a humorous cover tune (“Peter Gunn”, “Rocky and Bullwinkle”), and while those are fun, ultimately they detract from the mood created by the excellent original compositions from all of the band members. One aspect of their past that they’ve chosen not to leave behind is founding member Roger Miller, who appears on piano for new recordings of two Birdsongs from the group’s early days, including his own composition “The Beat of the Mesozoic, Part 1.” It says something about the band’s consistency of vision even through personnel changes that the old pieces remain close to their original versions and still sound perfectly at home with the new tracks. This seems appropriate to me, as the band’s very name says the music is most important, not the players – these are the sounds of a distant era brought to life in our own.

by Jon Davis, Published 2003-12-01

Birdsongs is back! The lineup hasn’t changed since Petrophonics: Eric Lindgren and Rick Scott are on keyboards (Lindgren primarily plays keys, while Scott handles the synths), Ken Field plays sax (and occasional flute), and Michael Bierylo handles guitar. All four members contribute on percussion (ranging from washboard to programmed electronic rhythms), along with several guests. As on their previous releases, the band creates a compelling chamber rock that blurs the borders between jazz, classical, minimalism, and rock. There’s a rhythmic feel to most of the album’s twelve compositions (especially the two title tracks) with left-hand keyboards, guitar, and percussion (both acoustic and electronic) setting up a syncopated beat that is at once repetitive (à la minimalism) and grooving (like jazz). Sax and right-hand piano add additional rhythmic pulses as well as short melodic phrases that somehow manage to be angular and unexpected, while still flowing smoothly. A few tracks toward the end break from this general approach. “Race Point” is a slow, airy piece that floats by almost intangibly, like a Frippertronic soundscape or a ‘new age’ composition. Album closer, “The Beat of the Mesozoic, Part 1” (written by former band member Roger Miller) takes the opposite approach with an even more linear beat and a long interlude in which all instruments vanish save percussion, resulting in something akin to a minimalist drum solo. Those who enjoyed the band’s previous efforts will be delighted with The Iridium Controversy, and newcomers will find it a great place to start. Highly recommended.

by Jim Chokey, Published 2003-12-01

If music can evoke various images, ideas, and concepts, such as nature, history, war, culture, concepts from literature, and so on, then the music of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic — for this writer at least, seems to evoke images of architecture. Their music is filled with points and lines, curves and planes, coming together in angles, corners and junctions, complete with internal walls, complex structural foundations and defining external textures. It all seems to be part and parcel of the band’s unique compositional style, steeped in chamber rock ideals, but eschewing much of the pretensive romanticism in favor of a stark, angular approach. Part of it is, no doubt, bound to their choice of instrumentation: piano, synths, percussion, and programming on one side, offset by saxes, flutes, and guitars on the other; the result is at once very mathematical and complex on the rhythmic end, while at the same time being intensely melodic and colorful. The other part of the equation is that all four players move freely between the two sides at will — for example the piano may be the rhythmic foundation at one moment and the lead melodic voice in the next, while the synths, guitars, and saxes move back and forth within the same structure contributing freely to both ends. The end result is absolutely unique; Birdsongs have, over the course of their career defined a style that is truly their own, with enough room grow and develop within it. This latest exploration charts many new courses, yet remains true to their ideals.

by Peter Thelen, Published 2003-12-01

Filed under: New releases, Issue 28, 2003 releases

Related artist(s): Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Ken Field

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-iridium-controversy

 

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