Spyra Headphone Concert (Little Garden of Sounds 2) Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband   Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Two')

From what I can make out this is a live recording of all new music. As well as two synth players we have a guitarist, violinist and flautist but the overall feel is still decidedly electronic. 'Jeden' begins with the band being introduced in German then we get the start proper and all very mellow it is too as we drift softly on floating pads. It takes less than a minute however before a tinkling sequence starts up along with some very delicate guitar detail. Some really lovely gentle violin colouring is then added. More synths and violin swell. In the tenth minute the sequence subsides momentarily before coming back with real oomph. There is nothing tinkling about this, being as bass and ballsey as you would like. The guitar also becomes more strident (but doesn't overdo it). The combination of strings and sequence works very well in a similar way to Klaus Schulze from around the first Wolfang Tiepold period.

There are then some wordless processed vocal effects which personally I could have done without but they quickly depart. The pace cranks up yet another gear and the Schulze comparison becomes even more obvious, sort of like a mix of 'X', 'Dune' and 'Audentity'. In the Eighteenth minute all descends to a collage of percussion and effects. Things then take a somewhat darker turn, sounds literally growling from the speakers before revealing a malevolent cosmic twist to finish. 'Two' is again introduced in German. A percussive melody has notes hanging in the air to generally fade into the distance. This is very delicate and tranquil stuff. A slow melodic loop is introduced, as is a sedate bass line. Just after the half way mark the track powers forward on the back of an exquisite contemporary rhythm developing quite a groove that got my hands beating out time on the table.