Album Notes

Based in Melbourne, Australia, The Merlin Bird play a highly original brand of progressive rock. Their work contains elements of rock, folk and classical music, combined with lyrics that explore the esoteric, the other-wordly and the downright unfathomable.

Their debut CD Reason and Rhyme has been described by press and industry sources as "sparkling with originality", "a thing of wonder" and "virtually a must have".

Their live shows, which combine juggling, masks and storytelling are fast earning them a reputation as a genuine one-of-a-kind act. Indeed, the sound engineer at Melbourne's famed Esplanade Hotel noted that they were the most original band he'd seen in the last two years. (Not bad from someone that makes his living mixing for the city's top bands night after night!)

In order of height and presumed sanity, The Merlin Bird are:

Shakira Searle (vocals)
Geoff Dawes (keyboards and vocals)
Dave O'Toole (guitar)
Dylan Stevenson (bass and vocals)
Dan Moloney (drums and absolutely no vocals whatsoever!)

The band describe their sound as being like Jethro Tull meeting a bad-tempered Enya in an Irish pub owned by Radiohead, as sung by three classically trained singers who have somehow ended up in a rock band that listens to King Crimson. If truth be told they can't really figure it out themselves.

The reviewers of this world seem to agree. Local music paper Beat noted that "comparisons are tricky to make, which has got to be a good thing in an age when too many bands sound uncannily like someone else." Renowned progressive website ProgScape stated that "The Merlin Bird sounds like no other band. Really."

Welcome to the journey ...