PHAEDRA

One of the finest electronic albums ever made and an album that defined history. That cannot be said about many albums of their respective genres, let alone a genre that is often misunderstood: progressive electronic. No other group has pioneered more in the realms of that genre arguably than Tangerine Dream, particularly in their Virgin years, and this album is possibly their most historically groundbreaking.

1. Phaedra: 17 minutes of sheer spooky, mellotron and keyboard-driven insanity. This is near impossible to describe, the sonic textures flowing from sound to sound right in your ears. This is perfect music for studying, relaxing, or meditating! I often like to play this album, and particularly this track, during the winter in the evenings. It is incredibly expressive and this track is simply a journey from beginning to end into a world that Froese and the crew construct for you. Never unexciting! 10/10

2. Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares: Yes, the title says it all. I might even like this song more than the previous title track; and I want it to be played at my funeral. It is perhaps one of the most eerie, beautiful songs I've ever heard in my entire life. This song features even more emotionally-played mellotron than the title track. This is the epitome of head music, a whole world opening up inside of your head as you hear it. This track makes the album a masterpiece alone. You simply have to hear it. Definitely in my top 5 favorite songs of all time. 10+/10

3. Moments of a Visionary: How can you top the previous track? Well, you really can't, but this song does a pretty decent job of following. In contrast to the all-encompassing blanket of warmth that is Semblance, this song starts off immediately as being more distant. It then builds perfectly into an icy journey (or so that's how I vision it) and is another very effective, mood/head song. Very effective, but barely misses the mark of absolute perfection. 9/10

4. Sequent C: A very haunting way to end the album, and also very short. However, it is just as effective as the previous 3, continuing the atmosphere laid out through the entire album yet being as memorable as the ones that came before it. The meticulous and well-written craftsmanship of these songs is amazing, and this is no exception. 9/10

If you think you know everything about music and haven't heard this, get it. However, if you're looking for a certain sound and don't have an open mind, you may not like it, as this music is nothing like Yes, jazz fusion, or prog metal. Of course, if you've read all of this review in this particular sub-genre by this artist, then you must be interested. So there are no exceptions. Buy it now. You won't regret it.

A masterpiece of progressive rock. 10/10