Ozric Tentacles release Technicians of the Sacred

Wonderful!

Oh !! I'm wetting my pants - it looks promising, I just wish they'd cut back on the programming and return to their more 'band' sounding efforts.
The Hidden Step was the last really strong album IMO, but all the albums since then have their fair share of marvellous tracks.
Roll on May.

Hi,

Funny enough, their last album has finally grown on me. I like all their stuff, but sometimes the music is just there. Their old stuff is fantastic, the 2000s and 2010s stuff is hit or miss. Looking forward to this.

Nice.

I've been spinning this new OT ALBUM recently and so far it's done very little for me.
It's quite disappointing actually. Has Ed's production sapped all the human qualities out of this offering ??
The drums/percussion all sound programmed, it's hard to tell if there's anything 'natural' being hit here. And it doesn't sound like Brandi even picked up a four-stringed beast throughout the proceedings. The songs are also repetitive and too long for their own good. The synths and guitars are intact, but gee, this sounds like an Ed Wynne solo. I don't even know why he's credited a rhythm section, this sounds like the Ed and Silas show to me.
This is a notch or three below Paper Monkeys for me, and I really feel like changing my user name coz this 'band' is pretty much running on vapours left behind by a once, exciting and very special group of inspired musicians.
I'm turning to Hidria Spacefolk, who carry on in the tradition of 'classic' OT.
Technicians Of The Sacred is just sad and tired.

^ Maybe that's just it - I prefer 'Rocking' OT - as in Pungent through Hidden Step.
I'm not too excited by the full-blown 'electronic' textures Ed and Co. offer up in recent years.
The best TotS can offer is : Far Memory (for its soothing qualities), Epiphlioy (coz it reminds a bit of Saucers and Curious Corn) and Zenlike Creature (coz it's more 'Rocking').
I also notice some tasteful Gliss-Guitar, which always recalls Gong to my ears.
I'm even at pains to offer it up a 3rd star, though I've only listened to it 3 times. I don't think I'll ever warm to it any time soon. Guess I'm a fan-boy in this case.

It's all too 'plastic' (or synthetic, if you will) - If this is where Ed wants to go, then good for him, I just don't think I'll be going along for the ride anymore. Give me any of the 80's 'tape' albums (Sliding Gliding, Tantric Obstacles etc......)
There is little magic here, heck, this is almost 90 friggin' minutes long - with some careful editing (and total ditching of several tracks in this case) we could've had a reasonable 40-odd minute album, but alas.......

I spun Tantric Obstacles, which dates from 1985. Utterly brilliant, inspired stuff, powerful enough to re-arrange the order of the universe. Well, that's how it sounded after Technicians.......
Also spun Paper Monkeys, and it too, is much more enjoyable than Technicians. HAD there been a more prominent rhythm section - chunky bass guitar and drum kit, Technicians would be a helluva lot better. Imagine what Zia and Merv could've added to this work ?? So, the compositions themselves aren't bad, Ed knows what he's doing, but I find it all very synthetic with too little input from the other members.

If I had a complaint about TOTS it's that it's a little mellow for my tastes. I'd like a few more sections to go to 11, so to speak.