TERRAGAIA

A race around the world, a detour to the ancient East and a trip to deep outer space pretty much sums up spacerockers Quantum Fantay's approach perfectly! The band take ideas and themes similar to bands such as the Ozric Tentacles, Hidria Spacefolk and even a dash of Hawkwind, but add plenty of their own individuality, mostly in the form of frequently up-tempo melodies, more typical progressive rock styled epic guitar soloing and little surprising moments of crisp Neo-prog styled keyboard sheen and sophistication. Their fifth album `Terragaia' may not set out to reinvent the sub-genre, but you'll hopefully be enjoying the all instrumental sounds too much to notice!

Opener `Journey to Earth' offers some creeping, maddening alien menace that perfectly compliments the moody cover artwork, as oceans of ambient synths, ferocious drumming, aggressive bass, glistening flute breezes, chiming reggae guitars and dub beats with heavy guitar blast attack the listener. Some lighter sounds drifts through `Azu Kene...', playful electric guitar licks dance around percolating emulated marimba Pierre Moerlin's Gong-like sounds, then the ancient world meets modern electronics in the dazzling and relentless `Desert Rush', all rippling synth bubbles and whirling dervish manic electric guitar riffing. `Aargh' is a Moog/synth driven Celtic jig that darts back and forth in tempo, only sadly let down by lack of a real ending. There's lots of tension and perfectly executed builds in the ancient eastern drama that pervades `Instant Karma', with droning tablas, hypnotic female chants, sitar and some delirious nimble acoustic guitar runs.

Unsurprisingly, Oriental themes race through the plucky `Chopsticks an Gongs', mysterious koto and tranquil flute twisting between heavy searing electric guitars, loopy synth spirals and murmuring bass that glides like fluid. `Indiegofera' is more meditative and ambient, droning didgeridoo and deep throated tribal groans with some very subtle groovy mellow electronics.`Yah Roste Fooroap' is a nice slow-burn reggae/dub piece mixed with German band Eloy's weeping lost- in-space `Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes'-era styled synths. Outer space goes Wild West in `Cowdians' , harmonica and banjo duelling it out with inspired electric guitar soloing in the slightly cheesy first half, but the dance beats, glistening tip-toeing electric piano run and a soothing Camel- like flute outro save it. `Journey From Earth' closes the album more in a symphonic prog manner, several lush and grandiose synth and keyboard themes that alternate between stirring and frantic to blast us back into space once more.

Some will likely feel Quantum Fantay are not offering the most original take on the spacerock style, but the album is still a perfectly enjoyable and well-performed work. `Terragaia' offers listeners ten tracks of colourful, atmospheric and carefully composed psychedelic/space rock with endless instrumental thrills that always remains melodic, lively and instantly pleasing to the ear.

Four stars.