Ozric Tentacles – Spirals In Hyperspace

This is the one Ozrics album for which I have mixed feelings.

Released in 2004, at the tail end of what had been a great nine years with some amazing albums, this was the beginning of the end for that particular line up. Zia, though featured in the sleeve was not an active member of the band anymore, having left to concentrate on Zubzub and only played on Oakum. Seaweed is credited on Oakum and Chewier and was replaced by Paul Chousmer and Brandi on the album’s tour. And we get Brandi’s first studio appearance too, playing some bass and some synths. There was definitely an ‘end of an era’ feeling in the air those days.

Musically speaking the album is really good. The experimental side of things was present on Chewier, a mad techno-like space jam, the frankly horrible Plasmoid and the first drum’n’bass tune since ‘86’s version of The Eternal Wheel, Psychic Chasm. Merv did the programmed core and added his usual insane synths and samples, so there is a clear Eat Static vibe to it, but Ed’s solos bring it to Ozrics territory. There is also Akasha, which boasts guitar and synth contributions by Ed’s musical mentor, Steve Hillage and his partner Miquette Giraudi – also known, among others, as System 7. This is my favourite on the album. The rest of the tunes are at least good and some even great. My picks would be Chewier, the title track, Slinky (originally performed by Nodens Ictus at the 2002 Pongmasters Ball) and Psychic Chasm. Oakum, which had appeared on Pongmasters, is not as good as the live version in my view – fewer synth layers and less interaction.

The production is great to my ears, though I haven’t got professional equipment to be able to judge it at that level. What is noticeable this time is the definite presence of synthesised bass on most tracks. Also, Schoo (my favourite Ozrics drummer, but don’t tell anyone), only plays on three tracks. I remember talking to a long-time fan at the time and we both felt that this was not really an Ozrics album, more of an Ed solo one. It was to be the first of three with the same feel, but with hindsight I’m not all that sure that hadn’t been the case with most of the albums that preceded it.

Sentimental and production reasons make me feel a bit sad about Spirals. But as soon as I actually put it on, I hear the same Ozric Tentacles that I know and love. Well, minus the rhythm section.
8.5/10