PHAEDRA

Tangerine Dream have created one of the most surprisingly beautiful things in art. Who knew that music created by so much machinery could take such a firm grasp of one's emotions. People commonly refer to Tangerine Dream's electronic atmospheres, day dreams, and lunar excursions as music for the head. I disagree, this is music for the heart. A pure emotional response delivered through mellotron, Moog, and organ, and the sprawling psychedelic paintings that will drift in and out of your consciousness as this plays.

When you listen to Phaedra, one must prepare himself for a journey. You have to sit down without a destination in mind and let the music dictate where you travel to. Admittedly though, at the times the journey can become a little tiresome. While the album kicks off with a palpable energy, the last 7 mins or Phaedra really leave me rather uneasy waiting for the record to end. This could perhaps be due to my rather cold response to the genre than the material itself. However, I think that speaks even more of the strength of this album. If it can evoke such a strong response in myself, who rather dislikes the genre, then it presents some truly exceptional people indeed, and I will recommend this album to those like myself who get little out of this style of prog or to those who are looking for a place to start in this sub-genre.