TYGER

My review is based on the vinyl version, as intrigued as I am by the "21st Century Common Man" titles. "Tyger" teeters at the level at which I may or may not want to "upgrade" to digital format. Yet another bold move for TANGERINE DREAM, chiefly because of the dignified voice of Jocelyn B. Smith interpreting William Blake on three of the four tracks, "Tyger" is otherwise not that different musically from the preceding "Underwater Sunlight", although ultimately not quite as engaging.

Another departure for the group is that the best material is on Side 2, with the magical instrumental "Alchemy of the Heart" and the lush electro-acoustic ballad "Smile", which seems part TD and part Jane Relf's ILLUSION, raising the bar. Side 1 opens well, if in a decidedly new age vein, with the title cut, but "London" is a mess of 14 minutes, a pastiche of NINA HAGEN-like 1980s new wave that might be brave but isn't bright, especially given the spiritual depths and highs of Blake's poetry. Some of the lead guitar work is expressive enough but lacks an overall context and seems forced.

I tend to be generous with my TANGERINE DREAM ratings, not without cause, but this cat is a bit too moody to be safely rounded up from 3.5 ish. Nice kitty.