VIRTUAL VINYL

Originally available only on their website, the rise in use of Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music etc. may have prompted Tribe of Cro to put this album out to a wider audience. That appears to have happened in 2015, with track lengths revised - ten minutes cut from track two and ten added to track three. Such is the improvisational nature of the album that this can happen.

The Trench is Space Rock 101, a slowly building groove that suits any manner of instrumental improv played over the top of it (exactly what happens). Cardinal Puff continues where The Trench left off for the first four minutes - but now includes a sitar which works incredibly well in duel with the guitar and accompanying the grooving bass. The groove continues but fades back slightly in the second half to allow a variety of electronic and space battle FX noise in - but still with the sitar/guitar duel in tow.

Blue Lined Tang begins full of atmospheric synths - judging by the previous review, the 'electrical playground' interlude of the longer Cardinal Puff track has simply been moved to the start of Blue Lined Tang on this version of the album, as after 4 minutes we return to the duelling space groove and FX we had before, and move into a new almost reggae vibe on the ten minute mark. This is a neat interlude which slowly builds and develops into a section made heavier by bringing drums to the fore as well as more aggressive guitars. Section peaks and troughs gradually, slowing down and fading away leaving just the electronic noise and random FX for a full 4 minutes to the end. Personally this is an unnecessary four minutes sounding like a badly calibrated 90s games console and the only negative point of the album for me, but isn't grating enough to stop me thinking this is a 5* example of 21st Century Space Rock