PTARMIGAN

A nice acid-folk album from British Columbia with a pretty big reputation among collectors. Ptarmigan were obviously globe-trotting hippies, and they must have spent some time in South America. There's a strong influence of Andean music on this record, particularly in the recorder playing, as well as touches of English hippie folk bands like Forest, Comus and the ISB, and a west coast U.S. psyche influence. The influences blend well, but the record does have an unfocussed feel...it's a bit jammy, and trippy but not really transcendant. The pieces are not really all that memorable, and the intensity level doesn't really change all the way through. The vocals are strong but a bit overdramatic for my liking, and they have a dated Haight- Ashbury feel to them. Having said all that, the record is a very pleasant listen, just more background music to me. There's nothing wrong with it, and it's very well-executed acoustic music. Still, it's an acid/psych folk essential for collectors of the genre.