Petrophonics

by Birdsongs of the Mesozoic

Product Description:

Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic: Michael Bierylo (guitar, programming); Ken Field (flute, soprano & alto saxophones, percussion); Erik Lindgren (acoustic grand piano); Rick Scott (piano, synthesizer).

Additional personnel: David Greenberger (vocals); John Styklunas (acoustic bass); Eric Paull (drums); Ken Winokur, Terry Donahue (percussion); Pacey Foster (turntables).

Engineers include: Michael Bierylo, Erik Lindgren, Frank Cheng.

Recorded at Sounds Interesting, Middleborough, Massachussetts between June 1999 and April 2000. Includes liner notes by Chuck Vrtacek.

This was Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic's first new album in five years. Clearly good material had been stockpiling on all fronts, with all four members contributing new compositions.

Erik Lindgren performs the lion's share, with two contrasting suites clocking in at nine and 17 minutes each. Saxophonist and reed player Ken Field's "One Hundred Cycles" is built on a rhythmic base that positively propels it forward (he had also recorded a couple of solo albums during the band's time away from the studio, which clearly inform his contribution). Rick Scott's darkly inviting "Study of Unintended Consequences" sounds like the confluence of geological phenomena, wayward machines, and human drive. Guitarist Michael Bierylo, besides bringing a couple of new pieces of his own, sparkles throughout, tossing off stinging lines that burn through the landscape. With Field, he adds a certain soulful presence to the otherwise austere settings.