Acid Birds, Acid Birds III (side A)

Acid Birds is the trio of Andrew Barker and Charles Waters of Gold Sparkle with Jaime Fennelly of Mind Over Mirrors, and 2011's Acid Birds III is entitled to appropriately reflect its place in their discography.  Reflecting the two approaches of the members, Acid Birds move between a dronier, electronic style and a percussion-forward aesthetic that borrows loosely from jazz traditions.  "Red Beak, Yellow Eye", the long track on side A, alternates between the two styles, with sharp turns that indicate a compositional hand driving its improvisational elements.  The album begins with the drums, especially the resonant kick, very far in the foreground.  The two tracks on side B are neatly divided, with a shorter and somewhat drone-based electronic piece followed by a longer, groovier track with live drums.  While the performances mesh nicely, the sonic elements sometimes seem to have come from different recordings, with the organic instruments recorded in an open room and the electronics preserving all of the brittleness of a direct feed.  The intricate and colorful cover painting hints, to me, that a psychedelic and perhaps droning album would be inside, only a few shades removed from the actual contents of Acid Birds III.