ARMED OBSERVATION

Back in 1987, during the dark years for progressive music, in the record store I worked in, we received a shipment of records from Cuneiform. In it was albums from Forever Einstein, Univers Zero, and Doctor Nerve. My life was changed. These were some of the most fantastic bands I had ever heard. And two, Doctor Nerve and Forever Einstein were going to play soon in a local club! There was hope for the prog fan.

This Doctor Nerve album is a masterpiece of RIO, sounding something like a big band version of Birdsongs From The Mesozoic with a big helping of Zappa. The music, all composed by guitarist Nick Didkovsky, features horns, vibes, violin, bass and drums playing frenetic music, often with unusual time signatures all piled on top of one another. If this is hard to picture, than you are on the right track. This music, although with the references I listed above, sounds like nothing you've ever heard before. It's worth hunting for.