Birdsongs of the Mesozoic

Mercury Lounge; Fri 24

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, in 1986

Photograph: Kathy Chapman/Cuneiform Records

Some bands will always be unfairly viewed as footnotes. Case in point: Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, destined to go down in history as “that weird Mission of Burma side project.” It’s a dubious peg, given that MOB frontman Roger Miller worked with the avian-named outfit only for the first seven years of its nearly three-decade existence. (The band’s other Burma link, sound manipulator Martin Swope, left BOTM in ’92.) But in a move destined to yield some deserved attention for the Birdsongs crew, Miller is returning to the fold, joining guitarist-percussionist Michael Bierylo and synth operators Erik Lindgren and Rick Scott for the band’s Triassic Tour, hitting Mercury Lounge this week. A meticulous survey of the group’s earliest material—just reissued with bonus live material as Dawn of the Cycads (Cuneiform)—the show even finds the musicians performing on vintage equipment.

The latter twist befits the band’s egghead bent. Where Mission of Burma has long epitomized arty-yet-affectless postpunk cool, Birdsongs’ all-instrumental material nods unabashedly to billowy minimalism and flamboyant prog. As heard on Cycads, the group’s saving grace is an offbeat sense of humor: When juxtaposed with primitive drum machines and loopy electronics, Miller’s florid piano lines come off as playful rather than grandiose.

Considering that a new Burma album is due later this year, it’s likely that Miller’s reunion with his old comrades will be a one-time-only affair. Don’t miss this chance to hear him geek out like it’s 1983.—Hank Shteamer

Buy Dawn of the Cycads on BN.com | Buy it on Amazon.com

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