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Pyroclastics

by Birdsongs of the Mesozoic

supported by
Carsten Pieper
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Carsten Pieper So, ending this Bandcamp year with a Cuneiform Records' special deal can't be a bad thing, right? With the sonic fireworks of the Birdsongs I'm wishing the whole world a better and hopefully more peaceful year than the passing one...

For the music: An instrumental mixture of chamber prog, RIO, a little jazz here and there and three cover versions thrown in for even more variety (by the Brians Eno and Wilson plus the Simpsons' theme ;-) ). Favorite track: I'm a Pterodactyl.
spicyinvalid
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spicyinvalid Powerfully engaging soundtrack for intense chess playing or even study, Pyroclastics takes the listener through an expansive terrain of melodically and rhythmically peculiar compositions; a rapidly flowing onslaught of colorful sounds. To the ears, the Saxophone is akin to a lead singer; pointedly expressive and contentious with its group of supporting instruments. Finally, My Prayer is the members of this band and anyone reading this comment on why I love this album will get to know YHVH. Favorite track: Our Prayer.
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Sled 04:55
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The Simpsons 02:00
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Our Prayer 02:34

about

Formed in 1980, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic play a unique mix of rock, punk, classical, minimalism, and free-form music, with occasional forays into even more unexpected directions. Pyroclastics continues & builds upon their signature sound that first emerged in the early 80's. It is the final Birdsongs album to feature original guitarist Martin Swope.


"With Pyroclastics, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic returned somewhat to its roots. Its signature sound -- pulsing keyboards, jagged harmonies, weird time signatures, slash-and-burn guitar -- is back stronger than ever; "Shortwave Longride" and "Pleasure Island" would both have sounded more or less at home on Magnetic Flip (except for the presence of Ken Field's saxophone). And the band's hilarious rendition of the theme from The Simpsons is a wry look backwards as well, a reminder of the arrangement of the Rocky and Bullwinkle theme on their first album.

Field has managed to insinuate himself so seamlessly into the Birdsongs sound by this point that while his saxophone lines do alter it noticeably, they do so subtly and from the inside -- note, in particular, the subtle jazz flavoring he gives to "Tyronglaea II" (otherwise an archetypal piece of old-fashioned Mesozoicism). The band also takes another run at Brian Eno's "Sombre Reptiles" (a piece they had tackled in an unreleased recording from 1983) and comes up with a surprisingly gentle (if ultimately unremarkable) rendition of Brian Wilson's hymn-like "Our Prayer."

Pyroclastics definitely marks a step forward for this band, but it remains rooted in its old strengths. Recommended."
– AllMusic

"The album not only lives up to its title (look it up), but also rivals the band’s astonishing first album, Magnetic Flip, for sheer musical pleasure. Partly responsible is a newly unleashed feel for gritty textures and pressing melodies that gives the tunes resilience without shoving them in your face. Of course, that would be just art moves without the Birdsongs’ sense of play in the calmly twisted musical ideas (tuneful shortwave noise, clinky percussion, unique instrument combinations), and the covers (the Simpsons’ theme and tunes from the two Brian’s, Wilson and Eno).

It doesn’t just take superior musicians to pull off this music, but musicians working as a real ensemble. The Birdsongs manage the mood and tempo shifts in the music while creating a clear, open sound that’s all the more attractive for its modesty."
–Lang Thompson, Option, #44

credits

released January 1, 1992

Ken Field – alto and soprano sax, synthesizer, percussion
Erik Lindgren – piano, samples, drum machine, percussion
Rick Scott – synthesizer, percussion
Martin Swope – guitar, percussion
and
Willie Alexander – percussion (4, 7)
Ken Winokur – percussion (4, 6)

Recording/mixdown engineer: Bob Windsor
Recording/mixdown done at Lyx Studio, Worcester, MA March-June, 1991, except "Our Prayer", December 1989-January 1990.

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Cuneiform Records Washington, D.C.

Cuneiform Records is an independent record label releasing adventurous, boundary-bursting music by artists from around the world.

Founded in 1984.
Based in Washington D.C.

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