I generally don't go into the whole fusion thing because, to my ear, it always ends up coming off like (barely) organized chaos.  Postmankind however manages to test the mettle of the performers without sounding like a Battle Of The Bands jam-off at the local college field house.  This is some really good quality music!

As I see it, few drummers can hold a candle to Ian Mosley.  He can go from delicate to frenetic with the flick of a wrist and never skip a beat or drop the ash off the end of his cigarette.  Challenging rhythms and wacked-out time signatures and change-ups seem like childs play -- all this and he's a classy, stand-up guy to boot.  Castle on the other hand seems to be able to play anything you put in front of him.  Sax? Hell yeah!  Flute?  No problem!  Clarinet whilst twiddling the an oboe reed with his nose?  I wouldn't be surprised!  The miracle of the multi-track recording makes him sound like a one man orchestra section, but the sound never comes off as gimmicky.  He's just that damned good!

Bandmates Pete Trewavas (bass) and Steve Rothery (guitar) guest throughout the disc and there's even a couple cameos from friend and former bandmate Steve Hackett (of Genesis fame - guitar).  You'd never know this was a side project as this loosely formed band sounds like they've been playing together forever (well.. technically they kind of have.. but not THIS kind of music!)

My favorite track on "Postmankind" is the first one, "Someday in May."  It starts out as a pretty straight-up jazz piece with a fresh, spring-fresh (hence the month of May, perhaps?) sounding sax.  The bridge is a relatively jam-like interlude featuring Hackett's signature guitar work..  starting with a wail but trailing off  with a growl you can hear as much as feel.  Coming out of the jam there's a fast and furious sax solo that sounds like it comes directly out of the Philip Glass school of minimalism.  It's a complicated segment which is quickly compounded by layers aftter layer of Castle on every instrument in his repetoir ... finally the brief minimalist interlude fades and the "Someday in May" ends as it began -- this one is an absolute stroke of genius!

"Glass Eye" is a funkier piece featuring a simpler rhythm and a Jethro Tull -ish flute with harmonies supplied by tenor sax.

"The Continuous Adventures of Colonel Svene" is, to my ear, the most avant garde of the eight tracks on Postmankind.  I get a real Steve Hackett vibe through most of this one.. sounds like something from his spate of concept albums in the late '70's.  But then things get slightly off-kilter and a hair atonal as all hell breaks loose with guitars, drums and sax.   There's trumpet here and some really odd sounding interludes that .. well, you have to hear a few times to figure out whether it's you or the music or both that just took a left turn to the Twilight Zone!

The title track and the closer, "The Viepoint" are more straightforward tracks which continue to showcase the diversity of  Mosley and Castle.  I very much like the upbeat ending to this disc, but then again I very much like everything in between as well!

Really, there ain't a bad song on this disc.  It ain't dance music, but it's got great rhythm.  It ain't pop, but the hooks will just about kill ya.  I'd like nothing more than to sing its praises on every hilltop (but that would get me committed, wouldn't it?).  Unfortunately, the reality of the industry says that, barring some miracle, "Postmankind" will not break any sales records and that's a shame -- yet a shame these talented musicians have come to accept, but to never be deterred by.  Let's all hold hands and thank God for that!  

Perhaps Ian and Ben can take some solace in this -- I'm not just being nice because I'm a fan, this truly is a five star recording.  I guarantee that anybody who gets ahold of this CD will love it.  This is one you will HAVE to buy new because you'll never see it in the used CD bins.  There are a ton of beer coasters out there that look suspiciously like old and crappy CD's.  This my friends is absolutely NOT one of them!