Biography
Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic
began in 1980 as a side project by half of Boston's now legendary
Mission Of Burma, Roger Miller and Martin Swope. Miller and
Swope joined forces with Rick Scott and Erik Lindgren for what
was originally conceived as a recording project only. In 1983,
they released a self titled EP, Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic.
With the demise of Mission Of Burma at about the same time as
the EP's release, Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic became a full-time
band for all involved. In 1984 they released their second LP,
Magnetic Flip, and began extensive touring to support
its release. A year later they released another EP, Beat
Of The Mesozoic, and again set out on tour.
Roger Miller left
the group in 1987 to concentrate on solo projects and was temporarily
replaced by saxophonist Steve Adams, before he in turn would
be replaced by current saxophonist Ken Field. Birdsongs' new
lineup recorded Faultline, released in 1989 for Cuneiform
Records. The follow up, Pyroclastics, appeared in 1992.
Shortly afterwards, guitarist Michael Bierylo replaced Martin
Swope, who moved to Hawaii. In 1993 a collection of previously
unreleased material from 1980-1987 featuring the band's first
lineup was released. The Fossil Record paid tribute to
Birdsongs' early years not covered by the Ryko release, Sonic
Geology, another compilation featuring tracks from the first
three LPs. 1995 saw the release of Dancing on A'A, the
first album to feature the current lineup of the group.
Birdsongs' instrumentation
is as varied and striking as its music: two keyboards, guitar,
and saxophone blend with electronic and acoustic percussion
(including a Mercury Cougar hubcap and a paint can) to produce
sound "...as meditative as it is physical, as rooted in classical
structure and jazz improvisation as it is in rock 'n roll."
(The Boston Globe) Since 1994, the members of Birdsongs have
been Artists-In-Residence at Dartmouth College and Massachusetts
College of Art. Other recent notable performances have included
those at the Knitting Factory in New York City, the Honolulu
Academy of Arts, and the Monadnock Music Festival in New Hampshire.
The band's latest,
and most likely best, album Petrophonics was released
in 2000 to widespread acclaim. The band has played quite a few
dates in support of the album including two festival appearances
(NEARfest 2001 and Guimarães Art Rock Festival in Portugal),
as well as select NYC appearances at the Tonic, Knitting Factory
and Triad Lounge. The band also celebrated its 20th anniversary
with a concert in their hometown of Boston. Work is slated to
begin soon on new material for a possible 2003 release.
- Mike
Prete [September 2001]
Source: BotM Website
Sonic
Geology (1988)
Sonic Geology
is a near-complete collection of songs from Birdsongs' early
'80s releases on Ace of Hearts (Beat of the Mesozoic,
Magnetic Flip, and the self-titled EP). These albums
were never released on CD, but this compilation contains 16
of the 21 songs featured on those early releases (as well as
two previously-unreleased songs: "Pulse Piece" and "The Common
Sparrow").
This early
version of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic featured pianist/composer
Roger Miller. Miller wrote about half of the material that appears
on this compilation, and as such was an integral part of the
band's creative nucleus (indeed, the band originally began as
a studio project of Miller's). Miller left the band in 1987,
a year before their first Cuneiform release (Faultline).
This album is a snapshot of the Miller-era Birdsongs.
Compared
to more recent albums from Birdsongs, the material on Sonic
Geology is raw and perhaps could be described as "noisy".
An eclectic (to put it mildly) brand of music mixing RIO prog
with neo-classical/minimalism and avant-garde styles, Sonic
Geology is difficult to pin down with labels. The band relies
heavily on keyed instruments (three of the four members on SG
are credited with either piano or synthesizer), but they also
throw in anything and everything that they can get their hands
on - the CD liner notes contain an exhaustive list of various
other instruments (sometimes make-shift, such as "hubcap" or
"chain on metal") used by themselves or a slew of guests.
The typical
song on this album is 3-6 minutes long, and features a basic
theme that is then twisted, turned, and generally deformed to
create something delightfully different. Highlights of this
compilation for me include "The Tyger", "Ptoccata", and "Pulse
Piece". More importantly, there are no songs that I would complain
about as being bad... one by one, every song on this 71+ minute
compilation steadfastly refuses to suck. Not all are memorable,
but none are terrible or out of place. While
the band has since released The Fossil Record (1980-1987)
on Cuneiform, this album remains important. Out of the 18 songs
on Sonic Geology, only two ("Sound Valentine" and "Pulse
Piece") also appear on The Fossil Record. The Fossil
Record mostly contains previously-unreleased material, as
well as two songs from the early Ace of Hearts albums that didn't
make Sonic Geology. As such, The Fossil Record
is not a replacement for the now out-of-print Sonic Geology,
but rather, the two compliment each other. Together, they offer
a complete look at "early" Birdsongs of the Mesozoic.
For established
fans of the band, purchasing this disc is a no-brainer. Despite
being OOP, I picked up a copy of this CD from eBay (for a mere
$2.25... some CD vendors just don't realize what they have).
For people interested in hearing the band for the first time,
however, I would suggest picking up a copy of Petrophonics
or Dancing on A'A (but if you see Sonic Geology
being sold somewhere, grab it - you'll thank yourself later).
- *Legion*
[July 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
Petrophonics
(2000)
Damn. Petrophonics
is yet another excellent album from the more avant-garde wing
of the progressive rock family tree. Though the group was described
to me as RIO, Petrophonics certainly not what I expected.
The album is extremely melodic and beautiful, putting the listener
at ease rather than jarring him with teeth grinding dissonance.
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic play in a highly experimental style
driven mostly by piano, synthesizer and smooth saxophone. The
band combines traditional prog, RIO, jazz, electronic and classical
music into a distinctive and thoroughly enjoyable blend. Electronic
pulses and percussive textures quiver behind grand piano dashes,
swelling synths and soaring, melodic sax. The band delves into
intentional repetition and dissonant territories every once
in a while, making the ethereal melodies all more powerful when
they return. This is definitely an inspired band that knows
what they're doing.
Some of my favorite
tracks include "One Hundred Cycles", with its enchanting rhythms
and surprisingly effective turntable scratches. Another is "Birdhead",
which uses a distorted drum track as the basis for its choppy
piano rhythm, to fascinating effect. "Dinosaurs Theme" simply
rumbles over you with its churning guitar riff, while "Gravity
Theme" has a beautiful, lilting jazziness to it that reflects
a delicate compositional touch. My only problem with the album
is that it runs a little long and tends to lose me if I attempt
to take it all in one sitting, which would keep me from declaring
it an unequivocal masterpiece. Other than that this is extremely
original, inspired and definitely something different for me
personally. Birdsongs of the Mesozoic are one of the jewels
of current progressive rock scene, and this album is a must
for fans still hoping to find adventurous and original music
within the genre.
- Greg Northrup [February 2001]
