JURASSIC SHIFT

The Ozric Tentacles are really interesting band with an excellent take on music. The musicianship is top flight really. When I first heard the sample stuff on the site I was instantly blown away.

And for a while, all was right with the world.

The trouble is I just haven't stayed blown away. All too often I find myself utterly zoned out when I listen them. Maybe I don't do enough (read as any) drugs or something to stick with the repetitious nature of the beast.

That predicament is most certainly the case when it comes to Jurassic Shift. It isn't all that way however. The opener Sunhair is always enticing. That actually a good opener thing happens to be an Ozric speciality. Feng Shui is arguably the album's centrepiece. It is totally capable of drawing me in and keeping me there. It has the right pace and all the right shifts. The ending is a little unfortunate, in that is just makes an inappropriate left turn at about minute 8 and just kills the buzz. The closer Vita Voom is also an eclectic little track with some kick which breaks up the monotony of much of the album.

By my count, there are eight tracks on the album and those where only 3 of them. The others just bleed into one another. I don't mean that in the "Never Hear the End of It" (shameless plug for a great guitar pop album) or the more recognizable reference "Abby Road" sort of way where the gearshifts are smooth and the interest only ramps up with each change of scenery. I mean it in the sense that I have trouble distinguishing one track for the other. The motifs repeat and the themes just aren't able catch on all the time.

On the balance I still remain more positive than negative for Jurassic Shift. As an eminenant reviewer of another medium once said "It's still Branston Pickle." (Yahtzee at www.escapistmagazine.com). By that I mean even when not totally hitting the nail on the head, The Ozric Tentacles are imaginative enough to separate themselves from the pack. 3 Stars for this enjoyable if slightly repetitive entry.