Tangerine Dream Mars Polaris

Of course, musically it’s quality not quantity we want but thankfully there are ample amounts of the former to be found on this album - not least with the excellent opener ‘Comets Figure Head’. Don’t get me wrong, this piece isn’t a sudden change in direction for TD - it’s very much along the lines of their recent work. However, it does feature an excellent melody which is picked out on a variety of meaty synth vox. It proves that there is no replacement for strong compositional elements. Throw as many rhythmic fireworks into the pot as you like, without the seed of a good idea it will all turn into bland and superficial aural wallpaper. When you are churning out so much new material it’s perhaps impossible not to fall into this trap, but on this album quite a few pieces are striving to rise above the usual humdrum.

Track 5 ‘Outland (The Colony)’ actually does play the “rhythmic fireworks” card but it is based on a strong and forceful theme which carries the day and the result is a masterful slab of modern Electronic Music. The following piece ‘Spiral Star Date’ gives the sequences room to flourish and plucky motifs and tight percussion all add to the mix.