Miriodor: Mekano

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

Recent articles (1,629 total)

Published: November 1, 2001

This twenty-year old Canadian band draws upon components of the “Rock In Opposition” sound witnessed by the Belgian outfit, “Univers Zero” and others of note. Here, with its fifth effort, the ensemble along with special guests, engage in a predominately upfront rhythmic attack amid quite a few complex time signatures. However, the musicians display great depth while incorporating, a slightly in-your-face demeanor into a set, brimming with interweaving choruses, unanticipated detours and whimsical themes. Essentially, the band creates a melodramatic climate in concert with rip-roaring guitar/bass lines, well-placed EFX, and the horn sections’ emphatic statements. On the piece titled “Le roi soldat” (The Soldier King), trumpeter Nemo Venba’s regal proclamations, give way to the bands’ odd-metered rock pulse, offbeat waltz motifs and Pascal Globensky’s quaintly rendered synth excursions.

Nonetheless, there is a lot of goodness happening on this newly released production, as this outing might represent Miriodor’s most complete and all-telling statement to date. Throughout, the band projects a kinetic sense of movement, while prodding the listener to expect the unexpected via a series of sparkling multipart storylines and eloquently crafted compositions. Feverishly recommended!

Cuneiform Records

Miriodor

Track Listing: 1. La celebre boucle (The Famous Loop) 2. Le regne des termites (Bugs) 3. Le sorcier (The Warlock) 4. Mine de rien (Mine of Nothingness) 5. Mille-pattes (Centipede) 6. Toutes proportions gardees (In a Manner of Speech) 7. IGA 8. Mangeur de masters (A Master Tape Snack) 9. Le roi soldat (The Soldier King) 10. Pas a ce que je sache, Sacha (Bulgarian Cave) 11. Singularite (Aztek Boogie) 12. L

Personnel: Bernard Falaise: guitars, fretless bass, table tournante

Record Label: Cuneiform Records
Style: Fusion/Progressive Rock