ARBORESCENCE

For a long time I've considered the Ozric Tentacles to be one of the happiest discoveries that Prog Archives has helped me make. Every one of their albums is entertaining and fun to listen to, and Arboresence may be one of their best.

As a follow-up to what is probably their best album (Jurassic Shift), Arboresence deliveries with the band's usual mix of spacey instrumental jams, twisting synthesizer textures, throbbing bass grooves, and shredding guitar. It's a great mix of hot/cold, fast/slow, cosmic/earthy... I could keep going, but no matter how many metaphors I come up with they'd all be just a bit of what Ozric Tentacle manages to accomplish, and none of them could fully describe the effect you'll get when listening. For those familiar with some of the band's output, Arboresence is slightly harder and more upbeat; Wynne's guitar seems a bit more on here, and the overall tone just seems to energize more than usual.

If you've never listened to the Ozric Tentacles - do yourself a favor and pick up this album. It's one of the best instrumental acts on this site at the high end of their game. Arboresence is solid from start to finish.

Songwriting: 4 - Instrumental Performances: 4 - Lyrics/Vocals: NA - Style/Emotion/Replay: 4