Ozric Tentacles - Spirals in Hyperspace (2 LP)
- LP
- 2 piece(s)
- 2004
- 10 tracks
- 1 uur, 18 min
- space rock
Spirals in Hyperspace
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5.0
Average of 2 reviews
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I have to say, I'm torn about this Ozrics album. It dropped in 2004, wrapping up a fantastic nine-year stretch filled with some incredible albums. It felt like the start of the end for that particular lineup. Zia, even though he's on the cover, wasn't really part of the band anymore, having left to focus on Zubzub. He only played on "Oakum." Seaweed contributed to "Oakum" and "Chewier" but was later replaced by Paul Chousmer and Brandi for the album's tour. Brandi also makes her first studio appearance here, handling some bass and synths. There was definitely a sense that an era was coming to a close back then. Musically, the album is really solid. The experimental side shines through on tracks like "Chewier," a wild techno-like space jam, the frankly awful "Plasmoid," and "Psychic Chasm," their first drum'n'bass tune since '86's version of "The Eternal Wheel." Merv handled the programmed core and added his usual insane synths and samples, giving it a clear Eat Static vibe, but Ed's solos bring it back to Ozrics territory. Then there's "Akasha," featuring guitar and synth contributions from Ed's musical mentor, Steve Hillage, and his partner Miquette Giraudi—also known as System 7. This is my favorite track on the album. The rest of the songs are at least good, with some even being great. My top picks would be "Chewier," the title track, "Slinky" (originally performed by Nodens Ictus at the 2002 Pongmasters Ball), and "Psychic Chasm." "Oakum," which appeared on Pongmasters, isn't as good as the live version in my opinion—fewer synth layers and less interaction. The production is fantastic to my ears, though I don't have professional equipment to judge it at that level. What stands out this time is the definite presence of synthesized bass on most tracks. Also, Schoo (my favorite Ozrics drummer, but shhh), only plays on three tracks. I remember chatting with a long-time fan back then, and we both felt that this wasn't really an Ozrics album, more of an Ed solo project. It was the first of three with a similar feel, but looking back, I'm not sure it wasn't the case with most of the albums that came before it. Sentimental and production reasons make me feel a bit down about "Spirals." But as soon as I put it on, I hear the same Ozric Tentacles I know and love. Well, minus the rhythm section. 8.5/10
In my opinion, the dark marble purple hue is absolutely stunning. The overall sound mix is quite pleasant to my ears, except for some noticeable light surface noise between songs and on the run-out grooves. The introduction to the first track on Side B (Slinky) is also a bit noisy; I'm not sure if it's an issue with the pressing or just my disc. I decided to listen to the digital file on YouTube with headphones and detected a slight static noise there as well, so it might just be the track itself. All in all, I'm satisfied with my purchase. Spirals has to be in my top 5 Ozric albums. One small issue is the cheap paper sleeves it came with. It would be nice to have some poly-lined sleeves for the price you're paying.
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