Arcane - Future Wreck. 2000 England

Oh my, what do we have here? Well, we have Rubycon but it flows like a techno album. Introspective flute mellotron and piano is offset by intense sequencing bordering on beats, but it is still pure EM. I haven’t heard anything this devastating since the discovery of Redshift. After the 21 minute+ opening title track, they shift gears to a more modern era of Tangerine Dream. Perhaps to the best of their 1980's albums: Logos. There is something very special about that album that is hard to put in words. It’s a rare combo of melodies and moods. But Arcane is clearly operating in that rarefied territory on track 2 'The Plastic Eaters. By track 3 they are marching through the 80's and hit Hyperborea for The Visible Empty Man. The first part of the track is what that TD album should have been like – with more haunting atmospherics and it doesn't dawdle. Oh dear, the second part of this song heads into bouncy Le Parc land. How did we get from Rubycon to Le Parc? Who’s bad idea was that? Well, this part isn't a highlight of the album for sure. Fortunately they close back in the Logos area. Or maybe Tangram, with a nice introspective sequence. The finale 'Planet of the Blind' gets back to some mellotron/sequence business with a bit of White Eagle thumping and a rare synth solo done in guitar hero fashion. Well, it’s a romp through the Tangerine Dream history book, but what the hell – I like the mix, different from any others I’ve heard.

Ownership: CD: 2000 Neu Harmony

1/15/11 (new entry)