johnb820

1... 2... 3... How about one more, for good luck. Ineffable Mysteries is the most accomplished Shpongle album yet. Electroplasm begins right where Simon left us last time except this one has something different to it. Could it be the Indian influence? Could it be the mature and well thought out movements within the songs? Maybe it's the exceptional studio effects. The truth is while all of those things are present on this album, the reason why Ineffable Mysteries is the best Shpongle album and is potentially one of the best albums I have heard, period, is the Love and Passion all throughout it. This is something that I felt was lacking on Nothing Lasts. Shpongolese Spoken Here takes us to the tight percussive genius that Shpongle is known for and just when you think you got the song pinned down, it shifts into the dub territory. This track is clearly a nod to what made Shpongle so successful in the first place. Nothing Is Something Worth Doing is quite possibly the most beautiful song I have ever heard. I can put it on and feel like everything is going to be alright, that there is still love in the world. Ineffable Mysteries and I Am You show us the Indian influence that is scattered throughout the album while Raja Ram brings us his most exciting and thrilling flute solos out of any Shpongle album. Invisible Man is the next most accomplished song on this album. I can't stress enough the beauty of this album. This is healing music while it still paints a crazy, funny picture for us to laugh and admire. Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland propels this project to another level and proves that with time, passion, and love, something amazing can be accomplished. I really feel like saying a word or two to those who can't appreciate this album for what it is and to those who may not have purchased it. I'll just say that you are missing out on some beautiful artwork within the packaging. So thanks to Simon Posford for bringing some light and positive energy to the world. We can only wish that such art can continue to find its way into the lives of those who need it.

I want a really really huge poster of that cover. Then I want four of them to cover all my walls. And then the Sundrops cover for my ceiling. I'll never look out my window at winter ever again.

That's good news. It will be interesting to see what ends up on the album considering this thing should have been released 5 years ago. I also hope that this is not the last Astral Projection album.

VA - Artificial Sun Was there a reason this one has not had much discussion?

This is another nice release from Cosmosis. It's very funky and twisted. The production is perfect. A few tracks are not so good such as Samba del Gringo and Empty Space. The last two tracks, as mentioned, are deeper but I feel like there isn't enough going on in them. They almost sound boring. Fumbling for the Funky Frequency makes me appreciate the emotions on Psychodelica Melodica.

Well sure, Simon included.

You hardly have to sell anything to get on the music charts these days. Physical sales are unbelievably dismal. 5,000 copies would probably get you in the top 40 on the main billboard charts. Also, billboard's definition of dance/electronic is really funny.

I know what you mean. It took some time to fully integrate myself with the layers, and I still have a hard time defining these songs. The most rewarding part of this release is the atmosphere. It is the perfect combination between earth and outer space in an ancient astronomical type of way, syncing the past and present. Layers float in and out of the mix making it pure floating trance and no, there are no hooks or lead synths that stick with you. It is a nice challenging release and draws closest comparison to Ra's 9th. With that said, I refuse to draw any conclusions about Arcana. I could love this or I could never listen to it again.

The thing is, for me and I know there are others out there, goa trance never died. I was a kid when goa trance was at its height, as a genre. As a newcomer in this genre, I equally like new school and old school. I equally enjoy listening to old school classics for the first time, and listening to newer artists and I find the wealth of interesting sounds coming from each to be fascinating. Maybe after another ten years, I will look back at suntrip and remember what it was like when goa went through its first revival, and loathe those ultra new school, moontrip records copying Ra and Filteria. Suntrip's popularity is not just from those looking to keep an old sound alive. It is also from a new wave of interest in goa trance in general and I can say I am a part of that.

Psychedelic Dreams - The earth has just whithered and died. We left earth and are swimming in the galactic primordial ooze. An ominous chord progression warns us of the journey ahead. Bouncy melodies and acidic notes peak through atmospheric midtones. This track is really traveling and fluid goa. A nice melody towards the end blissfully hangs on every few notes before quickly dying out.A- Spacecraft - This one is similar to the first track in that it continues to project us further out into space. More nicely controlled acidic lines light up and melt beautifully with a sharp bass line. B+ Amorphia - The bass line on this one sounds so ominous listening through my headphones. It's big, and heavy. I love how full the kicks sound. This track is really driving with distorted and psychedelic arpeggios whisping in and out in contrast to the nice melodies on top. Halfway through, the track turns and a really tight riff takes hold while intermediate notes squish and stretch your ears. A The Dreamer (Orient Remix) - This is such a fantastic psychedelic tune. The remix here takes the original song and doubles the craziness. No, it's not very oriental. One of my complaints of the original was the overuse of that familiar kick pattern. Thankfully, the remix keeps the beat going a bit more. The transitions are breathtaking. A- Transparent Joint - This track has an interesting sound to it. The bass line is rubbery, the effects are nice and psychedelic. The whole track is tight with fast paced melodies taking us on a journey. While it doesn't sound like the track goes anywhere because the sounds are not really altered over the course of its 7 minutes, subtleties will show themselves. I think this track sounds pretty fresh. A- The Other World - Another tight bass line propels us into another big track. Acute acidic lines once again slide in and out. Nothing really unique jumps out with this track that you wouldn't have heard on the first 5 tracks, but that is not to say it is bad. B Communication Remix - I have not heard the original Communication off of Apsara, but I like this one. The bass line is not as tight on this one but gets you moving. I suppose I would describe this tune as glowing, methodical, spacey, and slightly tangential, like the reflection upon a highly influential moment in your life. You can't quite place your finger on it, but you get it. B+ A New Home - Upon our adventure into the galaxy since, remember, the earth whithered and died, humans have found new life. This track is energetic and reminds us of what it's like to be impulsive and be somewhere we've never been to before. It's altogether scary but is necessary out of desperation. B Star Dance - After finding our new home on a distant planet, in another solar system, we may celebrate humanity's ability to overcome. Emphasis on the kicks immediately build a hypnotic rhythm. This track is just gushing with morning synths and bouncy melodies, nice fills and transitions keep it moving. This is the traveling goa that takes you to another place. It is very easy to lose one's self in its layers. Star Dance probably takes the most from older trance influenced goa. Where Transparent Joint sounds fresh at one end of the spectrum, so does Star Dance at the other end of the spectrum. Both are fantastic. A Dying Earth - In case you didn't know, the earth just whithered and died. Joking aside, that familiar atmospheric, ominous chord progression returns. I don't really see how this track stands on its own unfortunately. It's more a continuation of Psychedelic Dreams, which is good enough for me. It is a reminder that everything we have just experienced was nothing more than a trip, a dream, a delusion and we are back on earth. I think this song really ties together the whole album rather than acts as a down-tempo alternative to the first song. B+ Overall, Psychedelic Dreams is a conservative, and carefully pieced album. It manages to combine addictive melodies with unique bass lines. The production is top notch, however, Psychedelic Dreams does not take enough risks. Not enough stuff is going on in each song. For as exciting and fun as this album is, it still does not come close to the amount of experimentation and intrigue that old school artists found. Where Psychedelic Dreams really succeeds is the emotion in each and every tune.

I think what is so fantastic about suntrip is how each artist really brings a unique sound with each release. It tells me there is real artistic freedom. However, by comparison to older material many of the suntrip artists lack the complex psychedelic sound in favor of more accessible sounds. Honestly though, if people can't get into Radical Distortion or Merr0w I don't know what say. One thing is for sure, I love having an outlet for buying psy trance that I know won't have me buying mindless dark psy (Which I enjoy at times as well). In that sense I am a suntrip fanboy. I'd beg someone to point me in the direction of another label that releases quality with each and every release and makes me feel like I am a part of a community.

Suntrip put up flacs available for download from their shop. I really appreciate it because this album is phenomenal. Perhaps it can become commonplace to put up flacs? What's cool is that they include high quality artwork with the download as well.

Wow, I won't be offended by that but I will just tell you I am a college student and barely make even $150 American dollars a week which I spend roughly half on food. The rest I decide to save and/or spend on things like subway fare, books, movies, a newspaper, whatever I have to pay money for. Believe it or not I have other interests too which do cost money, none of which includes drugs. Technically I have enough money to buy it but it's not worth that much in comparison to other things. If I bought every album I felt like buying, I wouldn't have enough money to buy food. If it wasn't for the overseas shipping, I would be all over this.

I would love to get this one but the price + overseas shipping = fail.

Can anyone make out the sample/s in The Art of Happiness? I hear bits and pieces of it but the last bits of the intro and the breakdown elude me. I guess I am wondering where it is from as well.

This album is why music is still worth spending 20 bucks for. So much passion, dedication, and effort was put into finding the perfect sounds on this album. 9th is warm, uplifting, intense, exciting, spiritual, deep, and beautiful. Thanks to those behind this project. You are truly amazing.