How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
Fantastic music experience .
Disadvantages:
Very acquired taste .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
INTRODUCTION
Of all the music bands of past and present, there are those who just about everyone has heard of and then there are bands which very few people have heard of; the bands with a cult following if you like. Well the Ozric Tentacles, whom probably no more then about 1 in 130 people have heard of (If that) are just about in a league below the latter of the other two. Take yourself back to the early and mid 90's - before dance music ever really existed. The Ozric Tentacles are perhaps the "dance music" of their day. When I say this of course, don't start thinking of "Faithless" or modern day dance beacuse the Ozrics are a whole different experience altogether.
OZRIC TENTACLES: A SOUND GROUP
The music of the Ozric Tentacles is very hard to define and even harder to describe. Imagine a few guys with electric guitars. Now imagine a host of electronic sounds, noises and ambiences thrown in with these electric guitars and all mixed up to produce something very random and really quite brilliant. This hopefully gives you an idea of what the Ozrics are like. The group used to play at festivals around the UK in their day and many of their albums were made up of tracks that were not written or planned but just simply "happened" at such an event as the group decided to all play randomly and see what they came up with. Call them geniuses, call them musical morons - call them what you like but one thing you can't deny is their consistency. It's a consistency that has culled a small but solid following for the Ozrics and to this very day you will see unknown figures in music shops scrabbling over a few CDs that you've never seen before. These figures are probably scrabbling for a taste of White Rhino Tea, probably after the chance to jump in the Snake Pit or perhaps they just want to attend a Bizarre Bazaar because this ladies and gentlemen, is the world of the Ozric Tentacles!
LIVE UNDERSLUNKY
Live Underslunky is one of their live albums (hence the name) and the music here is a good place to start if you were to consider trying out the Ozrics. It's ever so slightly more tame then some of their other material and it holds all the talent and style that fans have come to love and respect them for. In my opinion, this is one of their best albums. "Dots Thots" is my favourite track of the lot but "White Rhino Tea" and "Snake Pit" are close behind. Other strong tracks include "Og Ha Be" and "Sunscape" and...oh but why spoil it? Below, I attempt to describe some of the best tracks on the album to give you an idea of what to expect. When you listen to the Ozrics, you'll either be bored to tears or you'll be blown away - there's no middle of the road. So let me go through some of the tracks.
LIVE UNDERSLUNKY: TRACKS
DOTS THOTS
A gripping and chilling sinister sound starts off this memorable track. Small clinking sounds echo in an ambience of electronic sound that surrounds the listener and instantly transports you to another dimension. The atmosphere is tense and electric. The sounds are starting to grow and evolve and guitar sounds are awkwardly interjecting with growing impatience. Sure enough, as the track ups the ante, things take off and the slightly rocky and fantastically rhythmic beat and riff that really hallmarks the track takes off. Dots Thots is all about good beats and good rhythm. All the better when blended with guitar and electronic sounds - this track really stands out as a firm favourite on the album. Sounds intrude, almost without permission and add to the aura perfectly. Of course anyone with an ear for the Ozrics will know that theres no clue as to which direction an Ozric Tentacles track is about to go in but this track is perhaps the most cohesive of the lot. The sound here is rich and fulfilling - a fantastic start to a promising album.
OG HA BE
A great fast beat is the centre-piece of this track and of course there's plenty of great riffs and sounds to go with. Some moments are particularly exciting as things mount and climax throughout but in true Ozric Tentacles style, there is no single riff or single beat here - there's a good random mix of ingredients thrown in and it makes the listen all the more exciting and captivating. Og Ha Be is a good example of the Ozrics at their most typical but brilliantly typical, it must be added.
SUNSCAPE
Sunscape has a "flute" like sound that interjects along with some really inspiring guitar riffs. This somehow creates a more "relaxed" feel, despite the fact that there's a good beat thrown in. A wonderfully diverse and entertaining track.
ERPLAND
Guitars really resound in Erpland as the beat drums and struts about in the back, guitars twang loudly and enthusiastically with good riffs and tunes. Things quieten down periodically to allow for some more...dare I say...mellow parts to come forward but the Ozrics never keep things the same for long and sure enough, the track vamps itself up again soon enough. Erpland is not the best track on the album but nonetheless, a rewarding experience.
WHITE RHINO TEA
A lovely mellow clinky sound starts off White Rhino tea with some hefty and beaty guitar interjections throwing themselves into the rhythm to get things moving. This track is known for some truly odd and rather intriguing sounds that push forward now and then. Some of the Ozric's finest electronic accompaniaments feature in this masterpiece of a track. There are moments when it sounds as if the track is ending but this is purely an illusion. Boasting to be one of the most random tracks on the album, this is a true Ozrics musical experience to be had. Guitars twang, tunes and riffs flow and sounds spurt out. Some of the riffs here are some of the best on the album. All in all, it's an exciting and pacey euphoria for the ears. A must - listen.
BIZARRE BAZAAR
Bizarre Bazaar is more of a twangy track then most and guitars have more voice in this track. Its not an overly memorable track and perhaps a little more drab then some of the others but it doesn't disappoint by much. The random sounds and changes of direction are all incorporated to make this a rather disorientating listen, in the very best way of course.
SNAKE PIT
A great track this one. A thrumming start with some great instrumental sounds and ambience riding over the beat. The track soon picks up more pace as it advances and a very "low tone" electric guitar sound plays at a riff throughout the former stages. Electronic vocal parts feature in this track also, with the usual Ozric Tentacle's method of throwing in an array of various different tunes and beats throughout. This is perhaps one of the best tracks on the entire album with its at once unique and enthralling style. And at 3 minutes 21 seconds, stands at being one of the shortest tracks on the album.
So that sums up most of the tracks for you. I have avoided reviewing all of the tracks, since I think it's nice to leave something for the listener to discover! If you're just going along to sample this album, then "Dots Thots" and "Snake Pit" are my two recommendations to you. All in all, its a great album with pure talent from the Ozrics that can't fail to get a nod, even from the music world's most acclaimed artists.
TRACK ORDER
Listed here are all the tracks on the album in order for you. The names are weird but I can assure you that the tracks themselves are far weirder.
1) Dots Thots 2) Og - ha - Be 3) Erpland 4) White Rhino Tea 5) Bizarre Bazaar 6) Sunscape 7) Erpsongs 8) Snake Pit 9) Kick Muck 10) O - I 11) Ayurvedic
If you're going to make a purchase of this album then play.com will do it for £7:99, including delivery which is an excellent deal. If you look around in the shops, you're probably looking at about £8:00 also. Places such as CD Warehouse and Virgin may well stock it so its worth a look. I have never seen an Ozric Tentacles album available in HMV as of yet but you can also look there.
OZRIC TENTACLES
So that just about ends this review. It's a fantastic album but as I pointed out before, the style of the Ozrics is very acquired; you either love them or you hate them and you'll discover which one you are very soon after hearing any of their work because they are most certainly very consistent. If you listen to and love this album, then try out "Jurassic Shift" - another great work of theirs.
Thankyou for reading and I hope you soon discover if you're an Ozric follower or not.
Let the sounds live on.
V
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How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Satisfactory
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