Ozric Tentacles Arborescence Album Review

​Ozric Tentacles
Arborescence
Dovetail Records
1994


Classic space rock punchy rockster instrumental music that rips the silence open like a swirling firework dominates the core of what this band is all about. Their throws of thrash and psychedelic infused driving blues makes a funky rhythm the basis for manic and frantic musicianship that frills the desire to shake your head.


Absolute grooves are crafted via the sheer force of continuation of rhythm despite the band's best efforts to spiral out of control. Astro-Cortex chucks everything at us, the whole force of the band creates a wall of sound that instantly makes us sit up and become aware of the depth and variation in the fluid music.


Yog-Bar-Og takes a more paced route to the same destination. New sounds and interesting synths make a rich display of atmosphere which is being played with in its then infant days, as the power of the sound manipulation device had reached a clear new age. Traditional band members compete for airtime as the dominating synths create wave after wave of fresh perspective on the delicate and well scored sonics that underpin the frills and crashes produced by electronic additives. Not even the rarely heard vocalist is spared from the distorted effects of studio wizardry.


The title track, Arborescence, is a much simpler piece again. A gentle keyboard melody accompanies some drifting dreamlike birdsong and guitars crisp the edges as they swoop in on the feathered wings of sound. Making room for peace but not giving space to silence, a gentle boat ride down a summer stream would be the perfect setting to this mysterious escape from the thrills of psychedelic space rock.


Chunky bass sets the tone for something a little more dark wave with the onset of Al-Salooq, and sure enough, a paced digital melody cuts the break before a fun and playful eastern sounding frolic whisks us into the night of lantern light and colourful scenes. Within a handful of a few bars, a familiar guitar begins to strum the classic progressions Ozric Tentacles are known for, to accompany this variant of synthesised and tonic underscore.


This mainly instrumental album is able to hold our attention and focus by the nature of being complex. Although the pace is regular and the keys seems to flow from one to the other with expert skill, so much attention is given to the things that go on behind the predictable nature rock music needs to have. Everything but the beat is totally unique to this band, and even by the time we reach the last few tracks, the sound is still fresh. We instantly know who this band is from their selections of tone and effect but what they produce is always new, original and recognisable are not easy to carry off, but this band do it well enough to still be making albums today.