STRATOSFEAR

I was totally disappointed with Phaedra the so-called masterpiece of Tangerine Dream, so got this with trepidation. I was actually delighted with this album. It is streets ahead of Phaedra for sheer enjoyable quality.

Tangerine Dream's techno ambience and their influence on experimental music is definitive and of course they were one of their first to produce music like this. Tangerine Dream are certainly progenitors of electronic music and glacial landscape music like no other band. Whereas I hated most of Phaedra, which is mind numbing and draining on the ears, Stratosfear is an encapsulating delight. The title track has a very nice rhythm and jaunty metrical patterns throughout that are compelling to the ear. All the tracks have a strange ambience and blend into one journey.

3 AM at the Border of the Marsh From Okefenokee, try remembering that title, is an intriguing piece that moves in a variety of directions and never really settles on one time signature. It features bizarre animal soundwaves that transport us to a deserted neverwhere, perhaps in the middle of some ancient forest or alien desert.

Invisible Limits is very long but has awesome effects and wonderful guitar licks and keyboard motifs. it is quite ethereal and not one to play at midnight. The music is still difficult to absorb at times, but this is a nice change in TD's style and is a lot more accessible then other albums that were very much in the experimental phase.

A relaxing journey onto some cosmic glacial planet.