Bablicon's third album is a sprawling behemoth of post-rock, its 16 songs and 64 minutes darting among handfuls of jazz, rock, and contemporary compositional styles. Sometimes these are light, playful art rock miniatures in the spirit of 1970s (Brian Eno, John Cale, and Robert Wyatt). At other spots there's challenging prog rock-jazz fusion along the lines of Soft Machine; at others, there's a clamor akin to outside 1960s and 1970s jazz ensembles of the Cecil Taylor type; and at yet others, it could pass for the somber orchestrated soundtrack to an art film. Then there are some hardcore experimental passages of wildly reverberating instruments and musique concrete, although generally the tone is much more accessible. For the most part it's instrumental, though it might have been advisable to play up the singing more, since the vocal opener, "Blue Hawaii," shows the band at their most appealing, definitely playing up the side that owes the most to Eno and Cale. There aren't many artists, in the "post-rock" camp or otherwise, that travel such wide stylistic ground. Though it's longer on eclecticism than emotional engagement, the scope is challenging and impressive, with the quirky atmospheres varying between stark and whimsical.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo