THE ISLAND OF THE FAY

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Island Of The Fay" is the first TANGERINE DREAM Eastgate's Sonic Poems Series release. 5 tracks have been composed by Edgar Froese, the 3 other tracks by Thorsten Quaeschning. The featured music is sometimes ambient, sometimes melodic, with synth sequencers. By moments, Hoshiko Yamane's electric violin brings an oriental touch.

The first half is the most interesting. "Marmontel Riding On A Clef" starts the album with an oppressive spacey fast sequence, to further evolve in a peaceful mood. "Breath Kissing Matter's Mouth" is a pleasant ambient slow tune, while "Beauty Of Magic Antagonism" has a cool melody, reminiscent of the Schmoelling era. "Fay Bewitching The Moon" is a nice atmospheric with violin oriental-sounding interventions. This reminds a little of the ambiance in the "Green Desert" album.

The second half is unfortunately less inspired. "Cycle Of Eternity" may be the weakest track of the record, withs its new age ambiance and repetitive dance beat. The three remaining tracks presents nearly the same drawbacks and fails at keeping attention.

Overall, "The Island Of The Fay" is an unequal album. It contains very nice, modern and inventive compositions, as well as less interesting long new-age passages. Without the 4 last tracks, it could have been a pretty good record.