HOW TO MEASURE A PLANET ?

4.5 stars. Quite a change on this one from the last two records.They toned down the guitars (in fact one guitarist left) and put the focus on Anneke's vocals and the atmosphere. And as if to show their fans this is a permanent move they made this album a double. I found this release took a lot more listening patience to grasp it all, and i'm still finding new things, while the 2 previous releases appealed to me right away with the powerful riffs. I guess this album is much more progressive in some ways. While some have complained about it all sounding "samey" I would disagee as the more I listened to the songs the more their own personalities come to the fore.

"Frail (You Might As Well Be Me)" opens with some atmosphere before this laid back beat with acoustic guitar joins in followed by vocals. Annek'e vocals sound so beautiful 2 1/2 and 4 minutes in. "Great Ocean Road" opens with experimental sounds before a beat comes in then guitar. Great sound ! Vocals follow and I like the contrasts on this one. Excellent tune. "Rescue Me" is a top three track for me. It's laid back with Anneke's reserved vocals joining in. Love when it kicks in after 3 minutes with heavy guitars and theremin.The guitar starts to lead as the theremin continues. Amazing sound ! "My Electricity" is again relaxing and laid back with vocals. It sounds so good though. I like the subtle guitar work in this one. "Liberty Bell" is another top three tune for me. This is darker as the sound builds and the vocals come in double tracked. It continues to build. Killer sound before 1 1/2 minutes ! "Red Is A Slow Colour" is one I like very much. It's fairly heavy but slow paced. Anneke shines. A heavy sound before 3 1/2 minutes and the rest of the song is outstanding. "The Big Sleep" has electronics and a good beat as vocals come in. "Marooned" has a nice heavy beat as vocals join in. It settles after 3 minutes. "Travel" is the final track on disc one. Experimental sounds to open before a melody with vocals takes over. It's fuller 1 1/2 minutes in as contrasts continue. Great song !

"South American Ghost Ride" opens disc two. We get some didgeridoo in this one and orchestral sounds. Samples too. It sounds like psychedelic sirens when it kicks in with a heavy sound. Kind of a weird track but cool. "Illuminating" has this heavy beat with bass. Synths join in then vocals. It kicks in as contrasts continue. Theremin before 4 minutes. "Locked Away" opens with strummed guitar and it sounds so good as synths and vocals join in. Beautiful, beautiful song. A top five with "Red Is A Slow Colour". This one gets quite heavy too. Just love it. "Probably Built In The Fifties" rounds out my top three. Heavy percussion as vocals come in. It all sounds processed then it kicks in. A great heavy sound 3 1/2 minutes in as contrasts continue. "How To Measure A Planet" is 28 1/2 minutes long. It opens with some sampling of a Russian radio broadcast, some vocal melodies later and lots of samples. It sounds so good when it kicks in before 5 minutes.

This album is very highly recommended though and patience is the key to unlock this beautiful release.