Shpongle - Tales Of The Inexpressible

[Children]

Shpongle - Tales Of The Inexpressible

 

 

Artist: Shpongle

Title: Tales Of The Inexpressible

Label: Twisted

Date: 2001

 

Track listing:

 

01. 08'12" Dorset Perception

02. 08'23" Star Shpongled Banner

03. 08'32" A New Way To Say "Hooray"

04. 05'05" Room 23

05. 08'52" My Head Feels Like A Frisbee

06. 08'56" Shpongleyes

07. 07'30" Once Upon The Sea Of Blissful Awareness

08. 11'21" Around The World In A Tea Daze

09. 02'08" Flute Fruit

 

Review:

 

VERY GOOD !!! Even if not too psychedelic :-) Definitely very different from

the first Shpongle album ! This one has many influences, from Spanish to

Oriental ones .. very tribal too, with lots of good voices …

Track 1 starts with a very spanish melody, then some tribal drums, a bass, a

strange voice with an echo, another one, another one … soo many voices ! And

this guitar, which disappeared for a while, comes again … then all stops … and

starts again, with voices playing together … drums suddenly become twisted,

then a deep spanish woman voice appears, with a lot of reverb, then it becomes

stacatto, and an awesome guitar melody starts for 1 minute long … I let you

discover the end of this Track (one of my favourites here) … Track 2 starts

with a strange dark atmosphere, then a man voice appears and the beat, slow

beat, starts with a bass and a piano melody appears, with a tribal drum and

the Raja Ram flute … then all accelerates, a man voice sings, and a quick beat

appears … then the second part is close to psytrance … the same man voice

repeating, tribal rhythms accelerating … really good one too … Track 3 starts

with strange noises, an indian voice screaming, a fly moving into your head,

then a man voice describes what follows … very slow rhythm, a male indian

voice screaming, female ones answering, twisted noises, slow flute melody,

indian voices at the end … Track 4 is really not awesome for me … too

experimental … few samples and a man voice (in german ?), indian female voices

with a flute … but it's too short, slow and lacks of instruments according to

me … Track 5 starts with a twisted voice saying the title of the Track, then a

funny " Monkey-Island "-like melody starts … this Track is very happy and

really good … at 3'45" all becomes very fast, brazilian influenced, with

oriental voices … such a strange mixing of influences, which create such an

atmosphere ! Really makes you shake your ears :-) This is pure genius ! A

flute appears at 6'15" and all becomes a little slower, to make you breath

before the fast end at 7'45" ! This Track really well suits its name :-) Then

a slow twisted voices finishes the Track like it started … Track 6 starts

slowly, with forest noises and "Gamma Goblins"-like voices … then a dark

sample starts in background, and waterized samples are used all along the

Track, with few voices … the beat is quite slow … nothing really special …

Track 7 starts with a chinese influence, then a slow female voice singing

continues the Track … a strange soft melody accompanies her … Track 8 starts

more rock-influenced … and then becomes very oriental influenced (with opera

voices) … actually this Track contains many very different parts

(rock-influenced melodies, chinese-influenced melodies, classical-influenced

melodies, psy-ambient samples, opera woman voices, middle-east man voices,

piano, flute, violin, double-bass, spanish guitar … convinced ? ;-)) … like

only Shpongle can build perfectly :-) One of the best ones here too (if not

the best) :-) The more I listen to this album, the more I think Simon is not a

human … unbelievable … if you don't like it, take more listens to it and then

you'll understand, at least for Tracks 1,2,5 and 8 … Track 9 is too short to

be considered as a real Track, but this flute finishes the whole album nicely

:-) Overall a wonderful journey, as good as the first album , and much more

various ! Anyway, there are less flutes in this one … Rating : 9/10 (because

of Track 4) ! Will definitely buy it with closed eye(lid?)s as soon as it's

released (in around 2 weeks) ;-)

[Guest santa[at]claus[dot]fi]

to all the peeps who gonna say new shpongle sux:

u should all seek for professional help!!! go to a

therapy or something. this is a true masterpiece!!!

my personal favorites r tracks 1 and 2.

[Guest plbicker[at]hotmail[dot]com]

First I was affraid the new shpongle would be just more of what we already had.

Well everyone knows the first album cannot be outperformed. Thats why I am

very glad simon&friends choose for a very different style. It's more like

worldmusic but still with the twisted magic in it. I think a comparision with

the first shpongle album would be useless(appels en peren vergelijken

One bad thing is that I don't realy have the feeling the CD is a whole but more

like a collection of tracks.

For fun I let my father listen to it and he said "Is this one and the same

artist???" So expect alot of styles and influences from all over the world in

one beautiful package.

The tracks I like most are: 1,5,8. I give it a 9/10 and I will certenly buy it

when it is available.

[Guest omega604[at]goatrance[dot]com]

not very psychedelic children? this album is flipping mad! simon and raja went

down a road less travelled and stuffed so many different musical influences in

this it is mindboggling. I've heard poeple say this album is too happy. I find

it vehiculates such a melancoly and it grips you by the heart and won't let go

at some times. Other times, it is a travel through martian sonic landscapes

and tortured voices. the tracks with voices are great as the human body is an

instrument way too overlooked in the electronic music domain in my opinion. i

can't start to select a favorite track as they are all crazy. Even when the

music is not typical ambiant (whatever that is), there is always a sound deep

down in there that makes it special. I would have never believed there ciould

be such a thing as psychedelic Calypso music before I heard this album. It may

take a few listens to really dive into this music but anyonje with an open

musical mind will be in heaven. Even my mom likes this!

[Guest SchizoEffecteD]

This album is completely from the first album. the first album was straight

shpongle, simon's melodies and raja's crazy flute stuff. But this album, they

try to fit another sounds and different melodies so they goto international

stuff, and they have alot of weird melodies in this album that are taken out

of all parts of the world. this album doesn't have the 8 minutes for every 8

tracks that makes up a regular 74 min cd, it has diferrent setup to it. all

the songs are so different, from the first song it really changes from an

annoying spanish melody into a beautiful song and great stuff, than the second

one is just one beat through out and similar melodies, a very good song by the

way. the third song is just for tripping and hallucinating, a man starts

talking with a trippy voice that says " So you take your third toke, nice and

slow......." and from there on you just fall into a story that this guy is

telling. the 4,5,6 are not that impressive and good, just regular simon

melodies and beats, nothing big, the 7th song is goes to a different

direction, there is a girl singing through out a song (Which i don't like

alot). the eighth song is brilliant, simon has really worked on it, its

AMAZING, brillinat stuff, and than the last song/sample is amazing too, i just

love raja's tunes, its very relaxing and nice melodies. so the whole cd is

pretty cool, much different from the first one, instead of plane SHPONGLE

(simon's shpongle feel and raja's flute), they experiment alot with different

stuff. overall it feels like a much better quality and better cd overall.

[Guest iNFiNiTi500]

Whereas the first Shpongle offered the premise of briljant chillout as natural

as possible, Tales adds some unhealthy though briljant touches of DMT

influenced music creation therebye letting go of all barriers known to

psyambient. In terms of pure strangeness this is up with the LSD mania of the

Beatles White Album and Pink Floyds Umma-Gumma. Fortunately the magical

chemistry between Raja and Simon is translated in 'accesible' song structures,

although not all songs are on par, quality wise, with the amazing skills

displayed in Dorset, Shpongled Banner, Frisbee and Tea Daze. Be prepared to be

blown away by the Wizardry though, Shpongle managed to let every other album

released this year, whatever the genre, sound pale and uninspired. Moreover,

in these troubled times where psytrance is increasingly stripped of the

elements that made it my favourite genre some years ago, this restores my

faith in the genre and I hope lots of artists may draw inspiration from the

wonderful sounds inhere cause this captures the early spirit and kickass

feeling of 1995 in a new jacket. 9/10 for the ALBUM of the YEAR...

[Guest Baboon]

9,5/10 from me... that´s all... Children said the most =)

[schism]

Very dissapointed, sorry Simon, hope you won't hate me for this one. Everything

that made the first Shpongle brilliant is gone for the most part so this cd

just sounds like a decent ethnic or "world" cd (but who likes those except as

sampler fodder for your Akai?). Shpongle I was special before because of the

chill factor, 8-12 minute loooong pieces that you could just sit and daze to,

great ambience etc but this sounds like crazy tribal music on dmt which i

suppose is good for playing to sold out crowds in symphonatic halls and for

insane drug induced hippies but not for zombie psy freaks like myself who stay

up all night and all morning, 2-3 days at a time and want slower TIP styled

music like Mystical Experiences and the atmospheric Shpongle I. It seems as if

Simon as cleaned up his act- there are no tracks on this cd as intricate as

Beyond Closed Eyelids or as magnificantly enthralling as And The Day Turned to

Night. When all is said and done this CD is filled with a lot of stuffer

material and substandard ethnic music. The sequences are complex and there are

a few gems, the melodies are advanced but overall its just too radical of a

departure and "not trance enough" for me. With that said, tracks 2 and 3 are

pretty good and tracks 8 and even the shortlived and "wished it were longer"

track 9 are superb. I wish Raja had more flute in this cd because it would

mean more ambience. The rest though, blah. Track 5 has a nice sample. Overall

a 5/10, maybe a 6 for effort if I'm stretching it, sorry but I can't even

positively give it an average 6, I am very dissapointed in the promo copy

suffice to say I haven't heard the final but I doubt its any different. I hope

Shpongle doesn't turn into another Delirium, thinking about Bill Leeb and

Sarah McLaughlin, oh man the thought absolutely makes me sick...

[Guest rx7style]

I don't know why this is even up for review yet, but here goes my review. This

album is absolutely fantastic. I have listened to this for a good month now,

and you really have to listen to it several times to take it all in. At first

I didn't like MOST of the tracks, and it wasn't quite as flat out beautiful

like the first album was. This album seems more interesting, with unique

melodies, sounds, and effects, but it's missing raw beauty -- because of this

it didn't quite melt my mind the first time like the first album. Anyway,

track 1 is fantastic -- very crisp and clean sounds, very musical, and the

vocals are pretty good. Track number 2 is amazing. The vocals in this track

are perfect, and eerily smooth and powerful. Then Raja's flute takes over with

one of the most absolutely stunning progressions of notes that creates an

epiphany ejoyment. Then, Simons masterful skills take over and mix them

together in a technologically beautiful blend of harmonies with a fantastic

deep bassline. Wow. Track 3 is VERY cool, and also has some nice harmonies

that just glide along. Very cool rhythm in this track, and so many swirling,

whirling, spinning sounds and effects for your brain to feast on. Track 4 at

first I didn't really like, but after a few more listens, it's hauntingly an

accurate follow up from the last track, and changes the "direction" of the CD

from then on. Now track 5 is pretty strange, and I get a little tired of the

meoldy the harmonica plays, but this track is riddled with rhythm

integration/change, amazing stereo and sonic manipulation, but it isn't

"breathtaking" which I kept feeling about certain tracks Simon has done in the

past. Track 6 is wonderful -- sweet and simple. A joy to listen to, with

more interesting sounds, and melodies. One thing about this album is the

seemless integration with so many different styles of what I'll call

"non-synthesized" music. And the flow and direction this album has definately

tells a tale like the album title suggests. There is also an effect in this

track where the sound swirls up really high with kind of an overlapping snare

sound, then spirals right down into a deep base tone with the introduction of

a beautiful melody: this has to be one of the greatest parts of this whole

album. I just didn't expect it at all!!! The switch between track 6 and 7 is

beautiful. Deep breathtaking clean tones, with gentle melodies that seem to

blow in the proverbial wind and just tickle your senses. Then, the idiots

that say "this album sounds like Sarah McLaughlin and Enya because of the

vocals" are completely missing the meaning of this track. They vocals are

woven together in such a way that they create a beautiful hybrid sound that

envelopes your mind -- so pure and simple, and an absolute joy to listen to.

Beautiful haromines are hard to come by, and Simon/Raja don't come up short in

this department. The vocals are so pure and clean they almost sound

engineered, and fit perfectly with the "theme" of thi album which in my

opinion is a message that all kinds and forms of music have a hidden beauty,

whether it be synth or voice, classical guitar, or psychedelic soundscapes. I

have to listen to track 8 again as I haven't taken it fully in yet, but I'm

just starting to realize it's beauty, there's too much to absorb in one

sitting with this album. And the flute track and the end is just like a

succulent dessert for the album: calmly and gently laying you back down from

your heightened state of listening to the music. Perfect closure with more

pure and simple sounds that tantalize your senses. I should also mention that

the basslines were very unique in this album with different tones, deep and

pulsating which absolutely filled my room with a FULL range of sound. So the

quality of this album is EXCELLENT! Anyway, this album grows on you big time.

It's considerably different from the first album, in my opinion -- it's less

psychedelic, with more natural beauty and purity. The first album was a

little more psychedelic and trippy. But I like this better now, my copy is on

advanced order right now, and I can't wait for more hours of listening

pleasure. I can only sit and bite my nails until a future release. Buy this

album -- it's beauty, simplicity, technicality, and quality are unsurpassed,

and once again this is a sonic masterpiece. Candy for the ears. I just don't

see how you wouldn't enjoy this album. 50/10. Inexpressibly Shpongled....

[Guest rx7style]

I forgot to mention that all tracks now to me are wonderful, and they all

please me to an extent which I don't understand [that's a good thing!!!], but

definitely the gems in the album are 2,3,6,7,8,9. Like I said, all tracks are

wonderful, but those ones just blanket me in a different sonic universe.

Enjoy this album people, it's absolutely a paradigm to the word music. Long

live Shpongle, I've already pledged allegiance to the Star Shpongled banner 8^)

[Guest Didge]

most things been said, but I just wanna add that I looove this album...

Favourite track for me is Around the World In a TeaDaze.

 

I gotta say tho, that no tracks bring me to the euphoric sensation that Behind

Closed Eyelids still manages to do.

[Guest OA]

Being such a big fan of the first album, i was a little dissapointed when I

first heard this. The music was top quality talent and produced, but It

sounded too , how should I say, 'organic' compared to the first one. Not a

'synthesized' maybe. But that was my mistake. I had expectations. Woops. After

listening again without the expectation that it would be the same, i fell in

love with it. This album is trully beautiful and I can't stop listening. I

have to give it a 10/10. Nothing can be improved on it. Nice work guys.

[Guest ^_^]

well shpongle is a master

if u cannot appreciate it, well your not truly goan.

if u ar einto minimal mostly u won't like all the melodies here. just

wonderful.. and whooooho the samba part!!! welcome to brazil -.-

 

thanks Raja!

draeke

[Guest A person who likes music]

truly goan??? what a bunch of bullshit!!! I like psy-trance, d&b, jazzy funk,

funky jazz, progressive rock, ambient, downtempo chillout,

just-about-anything....I don't give a shit if you think I'm not truly goan,

cos MUSIC ISN'T SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO TRY TO BE OR TRY TO LIKE...music just is

there, for you to enjoy, or not to enjoy...fuckin' idiotic shit people write

over here about being minimalistic, or dark, or melodic, or nizhonot...maan

I'm sick of that horseshit!! About the album, I haven't heard it yet, but I'm

pretty sure it is nothing else except pure quality, regardless of what you

call it!

 

"This is not goa, this is minimalist shit, this is nizhonot, this is new age

shit"! Shut the fuck up you fools, and get a life!!! Peace dou....

[Guest webmaster[at]neurocandy[dot]net]

EXCELLENT ALBUM! Love the Terence Mckenna samples on 'A new way to say hooray',

'Around the world in a tea daze' is really good also. Thanks simon & raja for

the shpongled tunes!

[shpongled]

Shpongle does not need an introduction, all who has listened to any of their

material know these artists are great. This album is quite different than the

last, as Simon says; more world music. You really hear that this duo got

enormous inspiration and tallent, to produce such different styles with cheer

quality. T1: spanish guitar melodies, nutty raja voice samples, beautiful

drums, and Simons (current) girlfriend's beautiful voice, the unimitable

twisted way offcource. T2: Name inspired from J.Hendrix unforgettable guitar

solo named Star Spangled Banner (hendrix talking sample in intro), chill-out

at the beginning; slow tempo, lovely bassline, wonderfull instruments & voice

samples (natural & robotic a'la DMT) , around 4mins it breaks up and develops

to a hard hitting 4/4 kick witch drives harder & harder, to at the end slow

down & break up... T3: starting w/ recreated dmt crackling noise (well no, but

a recreated feeling through sound =), Terrence McKenna speaks about the DMT

trip (his samples also aplied in middle & end), this later with beautiful

vocals great melodies, twisted instrument & drumming, raja comes in w/ his

soothing flute in the later half of the song. T4: intro w/ strange

instruments, wierd reverb to be followed by lovely voice samples, flute

playing, great drums, piano at the side, this is a chill-out & feel good track

=). T5: Again with the wierd reverb (GRM Tools!!) in the intro, ring-mods are

used here to create a surreal/demented sound to the flute =), i don't need to

say more than this is a psycedelic latino track with simon & raj twist!,

great. T6: intro of outdoor nature sounds w/ a little mystical touch,

transforms into a pre concerto feeling (you know it when you hear it =), then

the beat starts, deep bass, incredible drums here, chill melodies, ring

modulated flute here too, sound sooo insanely good when layered w/ sweepy

synth patch, psycho voice samples, tempo change @ 5:50 to a fast rising beat

that later breaks up into oblibion =)). T7: Now here comes a real chill track,

so soft and gentle, beautiful singing from simons girlfriend!!, soothing

melodies & instruments, flute (in the middle & end), relax, turn you mind

off!. T7: the longest track on this CD, here blending lots of genres, relaxing

intro with 'watery' guitar melodies, slowly build up, great instruments here,

arabic atmosphere builds up later in the track, operetic singing & arabic

voice samples, strings, ahh wonderful, gets quite a tempo in the end, Bolero

style =) (although not that linear build), lots of energy @ the end blowing up

and... T:8 soft flute playing with only atmospherical pads, melodic, what a

great ending of the CD. Now for obvious task; to compare it to their first

album, well you can't =), they are to different. I would say that the last

album had a more 'mystical' feeling to it though, but that does not make it

better... I would give it 9,8/10 (preserving me for more shpongle releases).

BUY IT IF YOU ENJOY MUSIC!!!!

[max]

After listening this album in Mp3 i'm sure of one thing. I'm gonna buy 2 Cds...

One for home listening and one to put in a Secret Swiss account in case of...

 

The best album ever made in Trance...far far far beyond everything that have

been done yet. Now because of this album everything sounds tasteless to me.

[Guest jsb]

The whole album is g00d, maybe not as the first album but all tracks got

something special in them. The sounds are more tribal-oriented, international

flavored. But there's too many vocals in tracks. Sometime you don't have the

feeling that you are listening to "trance" music. But anyway, as the new

Infected Mushroom stuff, people will prefer that even if it's worst than the

old stuff...just because it's "new". No tracks on this album can do the job of

"..and the day turned to night"

[Guest Inexpressibly Shpongled]

Brilliant, colourful, energetic, crisp perfection -- all on one CD of immense

quality and ingenuity. This album is an absolute must have, it's probably one

of the finest musical scores ever created. Simon physically commands sound to

do his every whim where his sonic manipulations will amaze you, and blow your

mind. This is music at it's finest: Raja's flute is absolutely magical, the

vocals pleasure every creavace of your brain being so smooth, sweet, and

simple. Simons sinfully beautiful melodies and sounds tingle your senses,

free your mind, and captivate your soul. Many styles in this album which

could be described as a musical collage, with seamless integration of

electronic and "natural" sound. All I can think to myself is how stunningly

beautiful this album is. I'm almost in disbelief that others could feel

anything less about this album: it's dissapointing, and it's a shame not

everyone will enjoy this album to it's full potential. Once again, Shpongle

has changed my life for the better. I am infinitely appreciative for the gift

that Simon and Raja [and everyone else involved] have given us. I can't rate

perfection, but I can tell you this album is precious and priceless beyond

anything else. Enjoy this magical creation.

[Guest Portugal]

I read something about Shpongle and i do the right thing. I bought the album.

It`s really magnifique, magical....

Is probably the better sound i ever eard

Thanks Shponge

[Guest Diepeveen]

I don't know what Simon and Raja does, but they do it well and it shows in this

album! - Pure Shpongle in every second... I like every track exept for "Room

23", wich i find a little boring. But it dosen't ruin the cd, in fact it makes

it even more good to hear the rest of the cd... - 9/10 from me.

[Guest blz]

I really never could understand what you people see in Shpongle. In the first

album there was one really good track being Behind Closed Eyelids but the rest

was quite boring really. And the new one then, well only new thing in it is

that this kind of ethnic worldmusic is reviewed as psy-ambient. I am looking

at the top-50 albums and you know what? Shpongle is not first, Hallucinogen -

Twisted is and there is a reason for that and that is that it still is easily

the best stuff from Simon. So no offence but Simon, kick Raja out and pick up

where you left with Hallucinogen. In these times of boring minimal tech crap

and weird worldmusic I am aching for some beautiful melodic GOATRANCE.

[Guest Psylent Buddhi]

I don't think words can do this album justice. Hence the name! This has to be

heard! Anyway, everything that needs to be said about this album has probably

been said. So, grab this at all costs!

[Guest ( : lone re-arranger : )]

shpongle's new album has great production and the tracks would sound fantastic

IF i hadn't heard simon's and raja's earlier production. because every track

on this album has a part, a loop or exactly same effects or

rhythmconstructions as a earlier track from the hallucinogen lab i can't be

anything else than disappointed in this album. there are ofcourse some new

ethnic influences which i like but the tracks could have been constructed

better. especially track 3 loses it's touch towards the end. simon and raja

really could do better but they're stuck in the same shpongle-patterns and

-sounds too deep. still this cd is worth checking out especially if you are a

newcomer : )...

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Absolutely unclassifiable music! It is so wierd to hear

people complain and have expectations about psy-trance

and psy-ambient - these seem like the last genres

I would expect orthodoxy from! Anyway, the most amazing

thing about this album is that the sound is much much

bigger than just the personas of Simon and Raja - they

seriously channeled a brilliant piece of work that should

be sent out into space as representative of Earth's culture - in other hands

the variety of styles and sounds

on this album would have fallen flat or sounded forced -

it is a magical carnival tilt-a-whirl ride for the mind and soul - there are a

number of melodies that appear that make me go "wait a minute, where have I

heard that before..?" and then they disappear before I can figure it out and

something new enters - one was from LTJ Bukem/Good Lookin' Records I think -

anyway, not a very technical oriented review - but you can't listen to this

album and not be moved to hyperbole - 100% recommended for all music lovers

all genres.