STAR TIDE

RADIO MASSACRE INTERNATIONAL are my favourite Electronics band for a number of reasons. Sure they are followers and have no doubt been influenced by TANGERINE DREAM and other seventies Electronics bands, but man these guys create amazing soundscape music.There's no question the abundance of mellotron is a huge appeal for me but it's more than that. This particular release is one of their earliest recordings (1993) and CDR number 8 that the band has released.To quote the band : "The main piece was a huge excursion into infinity and timelessness, inspired by the many nights up in Marske with the sea against the night sky.The depth of this piece came as a shock to us on playback and in many ways kick started the whole RMI thing of recording everything in the here and now live to 2 track".The shorter track "Monstrous Tides" came a few years later. Headphones are a must for this album.

"Monstrous Tides" has these faint spacey sounds as spoken sampled words come in briefly. Using spoken words is unique for this band but they do it often on this song. An interesting variety of sounds that get louder come in after 2 minutes. Mellotron 3 minutes in. More spoken words after 4 minutes. Check out the mellotron 5 minutes in. More spoken words before 6 minutes as he speaks out of the dense atmosphere. More mellotron follows. So good !

"Startide" is the almost one hour finale.Yup 59 1/2 minutes of being in deep space. Sequencer sounds along with a deep atmosphere leads the way early. It feels like being in a storm that is getting worse.This is unreal ! I'm not sure why it moves me emotionally at times but it does. At times it's scary and at other times haunting.There's such a depth to the sound here. My God it's insane before 17 1/2 minutes. Check it out before 22 minutes. It's like hearing what heaven must sound like.The mellotron is beyond words. It is like hearing the depth of the whole universe. It's drifting again 26 minutes in.Sounds pulse in a crazy manner after 30 minutes. It's spacey and drifting again after 35 minutes then it slows down before 41 minutes but it will continue to turn intense then back to a spacey calm the rest of the way.

This bands earlier material in particular is a must for fans of very spacey electronics. Easily 4 stars.