AND THE WATERS OPENED

Few Krautrock outfits, with the exception of maybe Popol Vuh, quite approach the mixture of sparse, minimalistic beauty and world music influences that Between display on the gorgeous And The Waters Opened. At the same time, Between also show a command of electronics and other cutting-edge sounds, with a drone kicking off the album that reminds me more than a little of the sonorous tones of Tangerine Dream's Zeit. Psychedelic jam music was already old hat by 1973, but Between manage to refresh the format beautifully here. Krautrock and early ambient music fuse at the hip here to yield an intriguing crossbreed.