HYPERBOREA

Tangerine Dream's "Hyperborea" sits nicely at the end of their Virgin Years period as an example of how the band had developed into a solid three piece outfit now that Schmoelling had joined. Tangerine Dream are now using percussion in a much more pronounced manner than the earlier years.

I read that the title "refers to the mythological land beyond the cold North wind, an earthly paradise of eternal sunshine. In Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophical book Hyperborea is named as the second earth race after the so called Polaric race, followed by the Lemurian, Atlantis and Aric race." It certainly opens with glacial landscapes with icy slabs of synth and electronic bird calls. No Man's Land is an intriguing piece of music that builds slowly into beautiful organic atmospheres. Schmoelling said in an interview "the title No Man's Land was influenced by the film 'Gandhi' and its brilliant soundtrack." Having seen that epic I can concur that there is a mystical quality to the music that is well suited.

Hyperborea is an atmospheric piece with an otherworldly vibe, with soothing synths layered over each other. It may get you hyped or bored but it will generate some strong emotions.

Cinnamon Road is very uplifting and a charming diversion for TD. The keyboards sparkle and shimmer with some very pretty synth lines. It is a high point for the album and one of TD's best works.

Sphinx Lightning is too long and does not encompass enough variation to sustain it for my tastes. It is sparse and minimalistic, then builds gradually into an ethereal epic. I prefer TD in short bursts or at least not wallowing on one idea for too long. However it shows the experimental side of the band and they were moving into a new phase rarely to traverse into such territory again.

Overall this is a decent TD adventure and like a lot of their releases will create images in your head that are deeply personal and difficult to explain. They are certainly a diverse group and one of the best for electro sympho addicts.