libertus

As two CDs have comprised around 95% of my music listening pleasure for the last four months, I can safely say that I have listened them to death and should be able to tell people something about them.

Describe Ozric Tentacles CDs. Ah yes, well there’s the trouble. Unlike most other musicians, the Ozrics deliberately make their music difficult to describe in words. Rather than asking “do you like our music?” the Ozrics ask “would you like to come on a journey with us?” Describing a journey through a physical landscape is taxing enough, but an aural landscape or soundscape? How does one begin?

“Waterfall Cities”, 2002, Snapper Music SDPCD154

The liner notes describe this album thusly.

“Seven more windows into colourful worlds for all to wrap around the harmonic sensors! Instrumental pathways spiralling off into realms not often encountered but definately [c]onductive to free mind travel. A blending of natural sounds to create places in which to dwell momentarily in a state of blissful otherness! To tread these astral strands often feels a little precarious… but we like it! The journey continues…”

Okaaaaaaay. True, but not very helpful.

“Waterfall Cities” is, like most Ozric productions, diverse, creative and beautifully made.

“Coily”

A dance intro. Definately coily, right from the outset with sliding synth coiling chaotically around the scale with driving bass. Segue to floaties. Cut to guitar groove. Arabic interlude, snake-charming with bass, then pipe. Desert flute, sand guitar dervish. Hard synth drive. Guitar screech out. And gone.

“Xingu”

Is this still Coily? Sounds similar… coiling synth and driving bass. Dance percussion. What’s going on, guys?

No, it’s different but clearly on the same theme. Dropping piano synth riffs over a deep driving bass pattern, building percussion.

Oh! Now we’re off… beautiful arabic oasis landscape on a magic carpet, the bass keeping us up, the piano riffs the wind in our hair. It’s like the stars are all around us.

Back to the coily distorted synth from the beginning. This part of the journey is coming to an end.

We’re still flying but somewhere different, more desolate, it’s sadder here, like a temple to a dead god.

Off elsewhere… let’s just enjoy flying, soar with the guitar for a bit, soft and safe landing.

“Waterfall Cities”

At ten minutes long, this title track can be expected to take a while to get going. Still, it introduces itself as an unashamedly up-beat guitar and synth piece straight away.

Slowly develops with crashing chords, getting ready, building bass and rhythm, then we’re off!

When do we get to the waterfall? Building anticipation…

Building…

BUILDING!!!

Oh shit!!! We flew off the waterfall ages ago!!!

Flying through the city… tearing like an angry racecar through the streets…

Where are we now? In space? In some kind of transport? Where are we going?

Hang on… this is too smooth and floaty… we’re being buttered up for something… there’s a big drop coming!

And it comes. Lurching… spinning… being spun… are we rising or falling? Are we going to hit something? What are those wierd noises? Where are we? It’s like we’re in a machine. This whole CITY is powered by the waterfall, like clockwork, and we have been its blood.

“Ch’ai?”

Ch’ai? Nah!

Eh? You may very well ask. For me, this is the jewel of the album. Original and innovative, even for the Ozrics, this orientally themed up-beat romp is an exercise in both precision and chaos. If they can play this live, I’d be mightily impressed.

The complexity is evident right from the outset. The precision with which each note falls everywhere in the soundscape. Poetic arpeggio acrobatics. Falling, tumbling, somersaulting, landing, holding mid-air, confidently catching.

The inevitable middle bit. Synth bass, strictly synth drumbeat. Swirling into chaos with the inevitable guitar solo! Sure, but where will it take us? Stretching the theme to the limits, then back into it. Ah, we’re coming to the denouement. From chaos re-emerges precision.

All together for a huge carillon-like finish.

“Ch’ai?” is by no means the pinnacle of their work, but it is a fine answer to the question “What do Ozric Tentacles sound like?”

“Spiralmind”

A welcome warm-down after the sometimes manic activity of the previous four tracks. Relax and drift with the bass and the floaties.

The bass changes direction a little but we’re still drifting along. We’re joined in our drifting. Our new companions want to takes us off somewhere. Shall we go? Are we done drifting?

We follow for a while, cruising with a spanish guitar serenade. It’s a pretty distraction and we thank our companions, but we remember that we came here with bass and floaties and must return.

But are we off track? The bass is there but we’re not floating and drifting anymore. We’re being taken somewhere.

Up… up… higher… spiralling down… faster… faster…

Whew! Being taken up again… this is like a roller-coaster! We’re definately not drifting anymore - the guitar drives us onward into chaos, slowly spiralling.

We come to a spinning, sliding halt. Then back on the bass. This could be good.

Wow! It’s like the universe has opened up and we’re flying into its soul, time is unravelling, substance is without meaning, spiralling away into nothing… and we do, without sadness.

“Sultana Detrii”

Ozric show off their dub/reggae/jammin mastery. I can’t describe the first part as I don’t get anything much from it. I think we’re just meant to bop. Sounds great. Everyone gets in on the performance. Memorable flute solo.

Atmospheric, forest-like interlude. A bit scary, actually. But it’s ok, we break out into sunshine on a landscape ravaged by time but eternally majestic. We soar above, carried by our awe and Ed’s guitar, to land softly in quiet contemplation. Where now?

We are in the presence of regal beauty, a princess, timeless, nature. What can we do but melt away as ice?

“Aura Borealis”

A groove. Intro builds with a seeming urgency but warmly and welcomingly into every conceivable part of the soundscape. It is everywhere and all around.

Groove interlude, spiralling through space, return to the original theme and some very deep bass.

Groove out.