OF NATURAL HISTORY

With their 2nd release,SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM declare clearly their predominant position on the Avant-Garde scene.Band like KAYO DOT,UNEXPECT,AGALLOCH,ARCTURUS and Sleepytime himself make me full of joy when I listen to them.For some years i've always imagined the prog metal like a beach without sea.Some squirt of water has arrived with DT's Metropolis pt.2,and i begun to see it with Out of Myself (RIVERSIDE) and Blackwater Park (OPETH).But the billow of avant-garde's bands like SGM,KAYO DOT...revealed to me an incredible oasis of superb music and creativeness...but we come to the point.OF NATURAL HISTORY is an outstanding masterpiece,not only avant,but also prog.Twelve excellent-crafted songs reveal a small cirkus of sounds and poems,a kind of delirious microcosm kept hidden in the entire musical universe.Beyond to tell that this release has become one of my all- time prefered cds,now I analyze the album track by track.

1. A Hymn to the Morning Star (5:40) = The first track of this album sounds like an epoch carillon,with some disturbed noises on the background (roars,howls,sharp notes of violin) and superb lyrics that talks about new technologies and future.The voice reminds me the presenters on the entry of the cirkus,that invite you to try the more absurd things,so i could tell that this opener is the most appropriate that i have never heard.Not an easy listening,even a hard pill to send down.But if all pills are like this,I should be ill 365 days/year.

2. The Donkey-Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion (6:01)= One of the masterpieces of the disc.A perfect mix of Metal,avant-garde,distorsions,jingle music and excellent lyrics and voice.In some parts (2.40'') it seem dominated by a hypnotic industrial stroll.Very awesome.

3. Phthisis (3:44) = My preferred song on the entire album,begin with a delicious bass riff filtrate by a radio reverberation.It reminds to me the N.I.n of the golden era (THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL),with the beautiful voice of Carla Kihlstedt and the great metal guitars by Nils Frykdahl.A perfect example of how a metal/industrial/shoegaze piece should be.

4. Bring Back the Apocalypse (4:10) = This song is the modern babel of sounds.In this piece you can hear human voices/cries,sharp metal,vibraphone,clocks,gregorian chants,electronic loops,and an interesting jazz drumming.Great bass riff.Probably the less-accessible piece of the album,but also the more experimental.

5. FC: The Freedom Club (10:48) = One of the longest pieces of the disc,it sounds like a jungle by night.The first ten seconds are a cloud of flies that hum on a dead body.After,a beautiful xilophone riff drives the composition to the hardcore nucleus on 2.40''.On the end you can hear birdsongs and crickets's seranades.But don't sleep,the best still come.

6. Gunday's Child (6:56) = Very similar to a Goblin's song on the refrain,this piece,with their razor's edge metal guitars and the sense of glumness that pervades it,is the perfect soundtrack to a claustrophibc horror movie.Begin to tremble.

7. The 17-Year Cicada (3:41) = A pure instrumental piece,dominated by tribal percussions and an incredible violin riff.Like a march of death ruled by a cannibal tribe,this song is very scary.Another act for our horror sountrack.Welcome to the Jungle

8. The Creature (6:00) = A very very avant-garde song,a soft battle against distorted guitars,odd time drums,carillon music and superb lyrics.A pleasant shade of Morricone mixed whit an oppriment stroll.Good taste.

9. What Shall We Do Without Us? (2:38) = The Bjork's birthday song,i suppose.Suffocated voices,hammering drums,crickets and people talking on the end.The shortest piece on the album but a great avant-garde pearl.Nice

10. Babydoctor (13:59) = The longest track on the album,split into two parts,one incredible and the other a little less good,according to me.The first section is pure John Zorn's avant-garde school,obviously without sax.The second instead is more a cacophonic metal diluted with people's conversations and background's noises.Still great,but little less than the first.

11. Cockroach (2:12) = Like a minstrel of the apocalypse,this very simple song has probably the best lyrics of the entire album.The lines "Cockroach, your problems are not mine/I love life, but with you I draw the line/Not to flaunt my superior design/but next to you, I'm practically divine/your problems are not mine." are the best advice that humans can have.Be careful.

12. Bonus-/Hiddentrack (5:56) = The bonus of the album,not a song but only people speaks on a meadow with crickets and toads.A midsummer's night dream atmosphere pervades this sketch.Very funny.

I'll be of few words.This opera is the most incredible thing happened in the 21th century.Keep this album immediatly..buy at the local store,by the mimikry records,but you must have this album.Download it if necessary.Legally is better,but i'm not a saint here...

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