8.8

Avant Garde trio Le Silo arrived in 2004 with '8.8' and revealed a phenom of a band, supporting the mounting evidence that Japan has not only fully arrived as a progressive player but is at the forefront of what Prog does best; taking a path through underexplored territory. Painfully complex and generating a constant flow of top-notch dissonance and steep angles, Miyako Kanazawa's piano mastery, Michiaki Suganuma's fierce skins and Yoshiharu Izutsu's screeching guitar somehow bring chaos together with order in a most East meets West way. Precise flurries, spontaneous eruptions and plenty of magic, all on hand here.

Suganuma's cowbell signals the opener 'Soleil', a dizzying intro to these three maestros' music which will either immediately excite or alienate you to this extraordinary band-- beautiful, silky 20th Century classical rubs elbows with Leonard Berstein, George Gershwin, and some madman rock fusion. It gives way to 'Enormous Trees With the Holy Spirit', a marvel of timing and arrangement. 'Oseaux' is even more challenging with headsplitting direction changes and intense free-mania. 'The Doctor's Helicopter' is dramatic and recalls Keith Emerson's pomp with Rachmaninoff's class. In fact, all the cuts on this album are brilliant examples of what these artists are doing and is yet another jewel in the Rising Sun's prog crown. One of the best records of 2004.