Cranial Pavement in Bloomington, MN

The distressed young lady depicted in
Carla Leighton
's cover art, recalling the comic book-derived imagery of early-'60s
Lichtenstein
, might suggest that listeners to this CD would be in for a severe sonic bludgeoning. The truth is, though, that nothing here approaches the extreme pounding administered by
Icebreaker
in their rendition of
Louis Andriessen
's
"Hoketus"
on the
Rogue's Gallery
CD (or the same piece performed by members of
and
Bang on a Can
on the latter's
Gigantic Dancing Human Machine
). So who might listen to
Cranial Pavement
and respond by yowling "AAARRRR" with tears running from squeezed-shut eyes? For one, those who believe
classical
,
jazz
, and
rock
music should never be thrown together in the same mixing bowl. Of course, there's plenty of evidence to support that stance; one need look no further than
prog rockers
like
ELP
tackling
Mussorgsky
or
Kronos Quartet
grinding out
Hendrix
to realize that a
band seeking
legitimacy or a
string quartet prowling the alleys for street cred can produce mixed results. In the case of
, however, these are not rockers subverted by empty exhibitions of technique or
musicians performing bowdlerized versions of
pop
hits. For one thing, they choose their material wisely, in this case one of
Conlon Nancarrow
"Studies"
for player piano arranged by
co-founder
James Poke
and three lengthier pieces by modern contemporary composers
John Godfrey
(the other
co-founder),
Yannis Kyriakides
Richard Craig
. And that contemporary sensibility is key, as is the fact that these compositions are ideally suited to
's 13-piece configuration of electric and acoustic instruments, not to mention the ensemble's "contemporary music with balls" sensibility.
While
falls toward the "
" side of the Venn diagram area where
genres intersect, the group's seamless integration of forms and single-minded sense of modernist purpose also place it near the same sonic territory as artists from the "
" side who have garnered a fair measure of critical acclaim and sometimes cultish fan devotion. So rather than the much-maligned excesses of
Yes
, one hears echoes of
Frank Zappa
Henry Cow
Art Zoyd
Doctor Nerve
.
Nancarrow
"Study #2B"
is based on the final movement of the composer's
Piece No. 1 for Small Orchestra
, originally written in the mid-'40s and actually predating the player piano music for which
became most famous (and which was deemed beyond the technical capability of human beings to perform until subsequently transcribed for
chamber
ensembles). As arranged by
Poke
, the brief
may suggest to certain ears a sudden burst of complex and energetic
Zappa
, while the sustained
electronic
keyboard tones and mournful violin of
Godfrey
"Gallows Hill"
recall the ominous drama and desolation of
Univers Zero
-- not surprising when considering that the composition's title, as noted on the
Cantaloupe
label website, "refers to the place in Salem where the women who were found guilty of witchcraft were executed."
"Blindspot"
(an overall highlight) is performed with
minimalist
precision and extended-form thematic cohesiveness, yet the saxophone harmonies could be right out of '70s
or a likeminded Rock in Opposition band. Meanwhile, the four-part
"Chook"
offers some unusual thrills and chills of its own, such as the
"Tango to the Death"
portion that seems to mix
Piazzolla
into the middle of
Bernard Herrmann
's Psycho
soundtrack
. They might have done their time in the conservatory and emerged with technique to spare, but the members of
have the vision to use their skills intelligently, along with a keen grasp of
avant
's street-level power. The result should have open-eared listeners yowling "AAARRRR" all right -- because they like it. ~ Dave Lynch