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Platypus

Ice Cycles

Review by Gary Hill

The second release from Platypus, this is good fun prog with a classic rock edge. At times it is Floydish, at times Dregsish, but all with this particular group's style all over it. Platypus is Ty Tabor, Derek Sherinian, John Myung and Rod Morgenstein.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: The Early Years Volume 2 at garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-The-Early-Years.

Track by Track Review
Oh God
Starting with keys, the cut jumps to a hard rock groove that works well. It then moves on to a mellower verse. This is a good rocker with a great groove.
Better Left Unsaid
With an intro that feels just a bit like mid-period Van Halen, this one changes gear to a slow rocker with a great retro texture. The chorus actually feels just a tiny bit like Blind Faith.
The Tower
Starting with a drum in, this one jumps in with a hard rock groove. It drops to a slower classic rock sounding verse. A progish hard rocking chorus drives the cut. The piece alternates between these two modes and features a solid retro rock keyboard solo.
Cry
A hard rocking, bluesy sort of texture begins this one. It drops to a nice progish slow format. The chorus has a harder edge. "Cry" has a very powerful arrangement, and includes a strong progressive rock bridge. The music gets a bit jazzy coming out of this instrumental mode, then it becomes very strong hard-edged prog. This is one of the strongest cuts on this disc.
I Need You
A creative progish balladic tone starts the song. It then turns quite metallic, and then a very stripped down verse ensues. This one features a great prog oriented bridge and outro.
25
Metallic modes begin this one. It then becomes a bit more progish as the keys enter. This track really feels a lot like Morgenstein's Dregs. An instrumental jam, this piece covers a lot of musical ground.
Gone
Starting with great sedate keyboard textures, the cut begins building slowly on this base in atmospheric directions. It suddenly shifts gear nearly 2 minutes in, becoming harder edged for a brief time. The general mode is a textural ballad. "Something has changed, Something is wrong". This is a very strong composition.
Partial To The Bean
This instrumental is divided into 7 sections.
Intro Pompatous
A very brief intro (21 seconds), this one is solely dramatic keys, first slow then fast.
Yoko Ono
This piece screams in in a hard-edged prog mode, getting into Dregsish jazzy guitar lines for a time.
Yoko Two-No
The piece changes gear on this movement to a slower jam. This is more chord dominated rather than frantic riffing.
Yoko Three-No
This segment is quite jazzy and bass dominated in the beginning. It has a great arrangement that just keeps building in jazzy prog modes.
Platmosis
Feeling almost like a playful take on Pink Floyd's "On The Run", this segment is dominated by keyboards and drums and ends in dissonance.
Yoko Againo
Screaming in, this movement is more Dregsish jamming.
Yoko Outro
This segment continues themes from the earlier parts of the cut, ending the piece in fusionish tones.
 
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