Wavestar Zenith Play: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi   Download: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'Time Node')

Ah, those were the days. Listening to a Wavestar album, for this listener at least, is never less than a pleasure. I've heard some say they never really understood what all the fuss was about. OK, in terms of technical precision and timing these albums can sound a bit "rough around the edges" by modern standards. But it's like living in an old house. You like it because of the imperfections, not despite them. Yes, the Wavestar cassettes in the form of 'Mind Journey' and this their much heralded second album 'Zenith' are by no means perfect, but the spirit and adventure leap from every note, amply aided by the late Dave Ward-Hunt's sequential mastery of the Digisound modular and John Dyson's uncanny knack for picking out infectious melodies.

I'm unsure of the rarity value of the original Surreal-to-Real CD release, but if you haven't got this album and you are a fan of the more melodic branch of Berlin School then you must give this a try. From the opening sequential refrains of 'Zenith' this album never loosens its grip. In similar fashion to 'Moonwind' the album is sculpted around 3 key tracks, the title track, the Japanese sounding 'Osaka-Hai' (the latter section of which is simply not to be missed) and the legendary 'Time Node'. This CD release is slightly different to the original because it contains a bonus live version of 'Time Node' recorded at the Klemdag rehearsal 1991(the same version which appears on the 'Surreality' sampler). The original version just shades it for me, but both are fantastic.

Sound wise I can't hear any difference between the releases, perhaps another round trip through the digital domain may have given this a bit more top end sizzle but both CDs are a richly deserved improvement on the hissy cassettes.