CELESTIAL OCEAN

This the third Brainticket album, is another rich and fascinating excursion into cosmic folk, taking as its inspiration the Egyptian book of the dead. It is almost a precursor to Nik Turner's 1978 project Sphynx, having much in common with it musically and texturally. It is a veritable cornucopia of sound colours, exotic percussion, newly incorporated electronics, and out there vocal chants and texts. It is a mystical, magical listen, wonderfully recorded in RCA's studios in Italy featuring leader Joel Vandroogenbroeck on keyboards and Flute, together with partner Carole Muriel on vocals and other exotica backed by Barney Palm's ancient percussion.

It is a kaleidoscopic listening experience full of deep mystery and cosmic energy, and a stunning example of recording and production techniques which seem to be all but lost today. Instruments fly in and around the mix creating a constantly shifting tapestry of sound which when listened to as a whole provides a journey of cosmic bliss.

Largely centred around early synthesisers and organ, with swathes of exotic percussion and cosmic vocals, there is a feeling of infinity and shapeshifting here which makes individual tracks all but irrelevant. As all good extended works should be, it works when listened to as a whole entity, although there are eight sections listed across the 38 minute spread. The beautifully illustrated cover on this exemplary new issue by Esoteric imprint Reactive Records, is in perfect sympathy to the music within, and as a whole this is a truly excellent work from a time of cosmic exploration which will never come again.