Reviews ...
From SFX 49, by Guy Haley:
'Unspoiled by hard dance beats, these are zoned tunes for the chill-out
room only...
And if you're into meditation, then this is a fine breed of wispiness to
drive out the cares of the day.'
From Matrix 135, by
Chris Terran:
'... there's considerably more bite than before, due in no small measure
to Pete Wyer's fine guitar
playing, alternately reminding me of Robert Fripp and Steve Hillage. Track
two is a cool, jazzy bridge
to the best cut on the CD, "Acid Drenched Symphony". Echoes of
"On The Run" from Dark Side of
the Moon here, with some neat synth and a mind-numbing hypnotic riff.
Superb.'
From Cranium Music
Newsletter, by Richard:
'The music of Mooch fits the SF scenario perfectly, with its washes of
spacey keyboards that
sometimes touch on the planet Tangerine Dream and then float away to
ambient beaches where
traces of tribal dance can be heard. On the track "Acid Drenched
Symphony" the guitar soars with
the spacey effects that constantly ebb and flow at you through your
speakers. At just 20 minutes
this track is a masterpiece.'
From Martyn Jones on
his Psych Reviews Website:
’Lots of layered keys and nice programmed section with use of
keyboard/Guitars/Drums. Just 4 long
tracks that span nearly 70 minutes, with 3 tracks clocking in at around
the 20 minute mark. If you are
into bands like the Orb and System 7, this is sure to appeal, so will it
to any New Age fans that might
like some of the more dreamscape, experimental sections. I'm sure this
would look and sound great live...'
From Carl Howard, USA
musician and underground music mail order rep:
'I thought that Mooch was a very ballsy CD, ballsy for the band to have
done, and ditto for you to have
released, considering that at no time does it veer into the conventional
rock that I was expecting would
build out of the retro-sequencing. Very impressive all round. I hadn't
heard electronic music approached
like that since the Project Q tapes of the early '90's.'
From Stridernews, by
Adam Strider (review © Adam Strider):
'From the first blips and beeps of this fantastic SpaceRock album, the
listener will know they're in for
a treat. Sounding like a fusion of early Alien Planetscapes and mid-70's
Heldon, the disk begins with
a most embracing aura... we have (here) fully developed forays into
electronic music styles I have only
previously heard mined by Richard Pinhas... Pete Wyer displays some
fascinating guitar technique...
The guitar enhances the synth structures exquisitely.'
From the excellent
Eurock catalogue:
'Here’s a real blast from over the pond. Since 1992 it seems that Steve
Palmer and various mates have
been exploring the outer reaches of futurist EM and space rock fusion.
Their new album as the name
implies is a real head-trip with its multiple analogue keyboards guitar
and percussives all fusing into a
cosmic musical mantra. The four long tracks literally melt into one
another as the various sounds evolve
from one theme to the next creating a swirling tapestry of surreal,
celestial exotica that reveals new tone
colors with each listen.'
From the GUILFIN
newletter:
'Been around for a while now, producing very ambient music - and the
reason why they lasted is because
their soundscapes have always been interesting. This is no exception, in
fact this has to be the best so far.
This is a full length cd, but only four tracks... They are more than mere
tunes, they are each a journey.
Enjoy your trip.'
From Rhythm and Booze
fanzine issue 8:
'Now this is one compelling album... that never loses your interest. The
glorious guitar work has a
tendency to reach a crescendo without losing any of its emotive beauty.
This is ambient synthesizer
music that would appeal to fans of Pink Floyd and The Orb. Each track has
different elements that
take hold of you and transport your thoughts to a new landscape... The
best way I can sum it up is
lovely, relaxing, interesting.'
From the Delerium
catalogue:
'Brand new album loaded with tripped out space trance rock music by this
popular UK festival band.
Features four long tracks of really stretched-out goodies.'
From Synth Music
Direct, by Dave Law (his original 1999 review):
'Only a few seconds in to the piece and a sequence can already be heard.
Ever mutating and moving
in and out of the mix it acts as the main focus of attention whilst all
manner of synth washes and effects
come and go. A guitar can be heard from time to time, adding a rather
special texture to proceedings,
not sounding a million miles away from how the guitar was used on TD’s
‘Electronic Meditation’.
The sequence really never stays still, neither do the psychedelic
background effects. This album will
be liked by followers of the Ozrics and Hawkwind as well as the more
adventurous fans of retro and
those who like weird spaced out madness. Who needs iffy substances when
you have music like this?
The tapestry of sounds created by synths, guitar and sequences never stay
still for a moment.
As we move into the second half of this trip the sequence becomes weirder
and weirder, almost
forming into a wall of sound. Acoustic, almost tribal, rhythms introduce
the second track ‘In Search
of Homo Sapiens Psychedelicus’. All manner of analogue sounds, cosmic
warbles and other worldly
effects mingle with the rhythm as we are taken on yet another bloody weird
journey. A very hypnotic
effect is created making me think that this track would be ideal for those
late night mental wanderings.
‘Acid Drenched Symphony’ also uses a repeated rhythm to provide a
structure to all the madness
that is going on around it but this time the rhythm is electronic. The
guitar also re-emerges but for
the most part just forms part of the underlying sonic gloop. Sequences
bubble to the surface at the
five minute mark, hang around for a few minutes then as the guitar becomes
more prominent fade
away again only to return later. The final track, the only one under
nineteen minutes in length, is
also the most laid back with no rhythm and only the most delicate use of
sequences, still bloody
strange though. To sum up, wild, very wild in fact, not conforming to any
style that has gone before
and certainly weird but if you want a completely new experience (man) then
buy this.
Personally I loved it but some will wonder what the hell is going on.'
Rob Chapman in MOJO
magazine:
'Terry Riley loops and T.Dream synth chorale dipped in techno pulses.'
Dave Roberts for
SPACE RIDER mag:
'The album opens up with 'Ocean Of Mercury'. This starts off quite
melodic, then builds up in tempo
to become quite an uptempo piece of music which features swirling synth
textures, electronic drums
and guitar. The music reminds me of Tangerine Dream towards the end of the
track, but more ambient.
'In Search Of...' is quite a melodic piece of music that features
percussion and synths. A haunting
piece of music. 'Acid Drenched Symphony' is very rhythmic and features
lots of sequencer passages
and swirling synths. This has to be the best track on the album - an
excellent piece of music.
The album closes with 'Vastscape', featuring lots of different synth
textures, an excellent closing track.'
EXPOSE:
'Entirely instrumental, this is a space explorer's dream come true.'
znr records:
What a title for gorgeous T. Dream electro music! Don't let the moniker
fool you, this is some of the
best post-Berlin electronic music in recent years!
ZOOPALOOP reviews:
How can I describe the music of this band ????? Mooch create a strange
kind of space music,
mixing lots of keyboards with samples, guitar and percussion. The four
songs of this record are
very relaxing and hypnotizing ("In Search Of Homo Sapiens
Psychedelicus" ). It's like a voyage
beyond unknown galaxies. The work on percussion reminds me of some Indian
music ("Acid
Drenched Symphony") - mixing with techno beats. Everyone who likes
psychedelic music must
listen to Mooch, they created their own swirling world. Very good.
Phil Brook of
Ambientmusic.co.uk:
It is so easy to jump to the wrong conclusions, especially when noting the
album title. If you think
this contains lots of high-energy acid techno, then think again and try
looking at the opposite end
of the scale. Ambient atmospherics with a hint of the Orb and the Ozric
Tentacles is what you get
and it's gorgeous. It's all the work of Steve Palmer, a guitarist who has
added the usual keyboards,
samples and synths to the four longish tracks on offer. The journey
commences with Ocean of
Mercury, an evocative moody instrumental that varies between Tangerine
Dream style loops and
quieter passages of haunting beauty. The next section, In Search Of Homo
Sapiens Psychedelicus,
offers an organised beat onto which squelchly analogue synths chart a
salubrious path. The other
tracks all have a distinctive individual mood that prevents any listening
weariness from becoming
apparent. There is something about these compositions that leave the
listener feeling aurally
satisfied, it's as though they have been specifically made to ensure the
overall mix is brimming
over with comforting effects. Some may now believe that ambient music
belongs to a bygone
age, but modern composers like Palmer prove this theory to be incorrect.
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