TYGER

Tyger is one of the more odd Tangerine Dream albums, because of the addition of vocals. I don't really care for the vocals here, and although they are done very well by a great singer, I don't think it really fits with Tangerine Dream. The first two tracks on this album, "Tyger" and "London", are vocal and electronics pop-inspired new-age numbers. Some people find them enjoyable and enlightening; I find them to be incredibly bland and outstandingly annoying. Like I said before - the vocals are great, but I don't welcome them here.

"Alchemy of the Heart", however, is delightful. A very beautiful almost-neo-classically composed new-age track that progresses wonderfully through different textures and emotions throughout its 12 minutes. It soars proudly with a grand ethereal quality.

But then, "Smile", is another bland new-age pop-inspired vocal track with pale emotion. It feels forced, and really doesn't go anywhere at all. Bummer, man.

This album does finish strong, though, with "21st Century Common Man". There are no references to King Crimson present in the actual music, even though the song title suggests otherwise. This is the darkest song on the album, and has an old school Tangerine Dream kind of feel, but with added touches of new-age plasticity. It really is quite good, and features an aggressive beat that you can really get into.

'80s Tangerine Dream has never been my favorite of their material, but this is some of their best work from that era. I'll always find the vocals to be annoying, but this album still has a great deal of mid-to-high quality progressive electronic work on it.