Shpongle - Tales Of The Inexpressible

[Guest Slidingtrancer]

This must be the best stuff around, it combines psy, ambient and worldmusic in

a perfect blend which make your eyes roll back. Whether you like it or not,

you MUST agree with me this is a true wonder. I really enjoy this album, maybe

more than the first! It has so many different flavours in it, you wouldn't

even find them in the biggest icecreamrestaurant of the world. Simon and Raja

let go of all orthodox rules of modern psychedelic and ambient stuff. They are

true master, whether you can feel it throught their music or not. No-one can

make this sorta music like they do. Asura is good in their perspective, but

this is more complete, more evolved maybe. If you love music and everything

about it, buy it.

If you wanna bitch about world music, about psy-ambient, about spirituality,

leave it.

For me its straight up there with the best 9.9/10, near the Gods....

[Guest Sex-Tazi, ICQ# : 99077712]

I'll begin with a quote about this album from Simon Posford's site:

"After more than a years absence, Raja and Simon are back with another mind

blowing album from Shpongle not satisfied with worldwide recognition and sales

in excess of 30,000 copies from the first album, Simon Posford and his sonic

co-pilot Raja Ram have set off again into the deepest recesses of sound to

take you yet further on their journey into the unknown, with acoustic guitar,

cello, Turkish operatic vocals, lyrics and backing vocals by Michele, rolling

Moroccan drums, and Raja's unmistakable flute lines, the new album truly is a

discover, as the epic track, 'Around the World in a Tea Daze' shows. Shpongle

have blended the known with the unknown they have taken unique and timeless

music influences and blended them with the digital mastery of Simon's sonic

manipulation to bring about a perfect blending of the organic with

technology." While some of you might think these words are subjective, so here

I am to verify these words as the most accurate words I may find to describe

this masterpiece.

 

Simon and Raja Ram raise the ambient scale and even the global music scale one

level above with professional sound and highly invested production.

 

The album characterized with instruments mainly oriental which I can't even

tell what made them, was it Simon's studio or was it Raja Ram's flute, anyway,

in both cases you surely won't be able to tell the differences between Simon's

studio and Raja Ram's flute.

 

Guaranteed enjoyment!

[Guest dj_auryn]

well, nothing much to add... really good album, but I guess "...tea daze" is

just a little over the top for my taste. I mean it's like listening to some

world-rock opera with beats stuck under it. 9/10

[freak51]

Around the World in a Tea Daze borders on a ripoff of Disney cartoon backdrops,

or else if I had the footage handy, I'd like to see how it plays with

Animaniacs' "Around the World with Dot". #5 and #6 didn't grab me either.

However, Dorset Perception and A New Way to Say Hooray are worth the price of

this record alone, and then some. These tracks are gold. Star Shpongled

Banner is OK, but I can't stress how much everyone needs this record for #1

and #3. Simon Posford does things with voice effects that just melt me into a

vibrating puddle of bliss. The production values on this are stupendous, too.

The clarity and detail would make an audiophile weep. Huge!

[Guest ir0nm0nk3y]

1,2,3 & 8 are very good. They evoke a similar feeling/vibe from the previous

album. This album on its own isn't bad but, it just seems so much less in

comparison to its predecessor. Whereas 'Are You Shpongled?' is a true journey

of the mind this one sounds (in its less than wonderful parts) like a journey

to the mall. I find most of the tracks too busy and the heavy use of vocals

distracting and intrusive on the underlying melodies. Don't hate me simon

cause I love your work. Perhaps further listening will change my opinion.

6/10.

[Guest guy]

...too.............many.............vocals.............

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Star shpongled banner is AMAZING- it has a lot of influences - best thing - in

the half of the track it gets kind like of Acid sounds with kickDrum!!!

so as dorest p... - there is no one moment of

boringnesssssssdddfffgggw..ww..w...wao - the end is smashing!!!

The best CD ever. sooo many influences in ambient!!

[Guest sunconscious]

Ok, its not the same as the last Shpongle album. Well what do you expect from

Posford? He never stays the same And this album is just AWESOME...

Posford takes us in a new direction yet again... not just for the sake of a

new direction, but because it sounds great! This whole album flows from song

to song, more so than the previous album. need something different from goa

trance, but still want to space out? definitely try this. my only

complaint... i wish the end of Tea Daze lasted alot longer... sooo goood....

10/10

[Guest slinker]

Outstanding musical talent creates a lushious and beautiful listening

experience which cultivates the mind and refreshes the soul....bliss 10/10

=^,^=

[Guest jaja]

I am sorry but I don't understand this album. Maybe I am ignorant, or

unsensitive, or I don't know what, but it's too weird to have a sense. I don't

know where you find the beauty in this. That leaves everywhere, and I do not

yet see guidelines since the first album. It seems like a patchwork of various

influences but completely muddled.

Finally, the set is openly indigestible and not homogeneous. I really have the

impression that we are not talking about the same cd... I feel alone. help me

to understand...

[Guest HAch]

21th century music.

[Guest Phage]

Another great work by Simon and Raja. Track 8 is AWESOME. I don't know why, but

I really enjoyed hearing so little english in the vocals - go figure?

[Guest MK]

As a whole this album evokes good vibes and has many new sounds. There are,

however, a lot of times where trax remind me of over-done commercialised world

music. Many parts are over-produced and sound a bit too "sugary".

I understand that music evloves and I wasn't hoping for the same album as the

1st, but hoping that the tone of the 1st album would be carried thru and

extended.

I do prefer the previous album to this, but still find parts of this LP to be

an imaginative, emotional & enjoyable listen...7/10 cheers

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Inexpressible this journey through distant landscapes and moods is. Just buy it

[Guest Big Brother]

I think everyone should stop druggs here. This...thing is a pure rubbish. A

patchwork of anything, certainly well well produced (great sound) but so badly

ordered that the technical perfection is wasted. And you, who are wanting

something new, intelligent, innovative, in what can you say that this is?

Percussions (whao, never heard percussion in a traxx) piano (moreover often

precious and easy), sometimes ridiculous theme, weird to be weird, artificial.

It is not enough to put a mentally ill title and pseudo-ill traxx in the album

and to be called Shpongle to do the good music. FOR me, this thingummyjig is a

joke. And that works apparently , because everybody buys and loves this big

shit. Jaja, don't feel alone. For all the others, I love you all, too, but I'm

a bit disppointing by your blindness. 2,5/10, and I'm Kind.

[Guest b4u2r1[at]hotmail[dot]com]

I'm not sure what kind of drugs Simon and Raja have been taking lately, but I

just cant get into this one. The only track I like is (4)Room23 (which no one

else seems to like?) This CD is not something I would want to listen to whilst

tripping out on my couch and if someone was going to dance to this I think one

would need a pair pixie shoes! Im giving this CD to my mom I think she might

like it!

[Guest unshpongled]

Some piece of advice: Listent o this album BEFORE to read the reviews above.

You will excape a surpise not always pleasant. I bought it following the

reviews here,and I am sure now that errare humanum est...

[Guest Slidingtrancer]

I do not get the people who are openly calling this album shit, just let it

grow on you. This is psychedelica as its meant to be, whether you like it or

not. Listening is good for most albums, but i felt dissapointed listening a

few mp3-trax of this release. I'm glad I bought it though, it's a real yourney

in a complete new direction, very different from the first cd.

This is very innovative and soothing, I really can't see why some people here

have lost the vibe....

Maybe they listened to too much technocrap to like spirituality in music. For

me it brings many feelings, 'My head feels like a frisbee' makes me happy and

'flute fruit' makes me so sad....

The only songs I dont really like is 'shpongleyes' and 'star shponled banner' (

though the last is growing on me). I do think this is a real

headphones-release. Please hear this with headphones, you will miss out on a

lot listening without them ( Including some bees...hehe)

[Guest NFalke666[at]aol[dot]com]

Wow! if Simon was ever human before, he isn't now... Evolution at its best!

[Guest stunts]

I think we have to compare this to Asura's "Code Eternity". Same taste for the

world-ethnic UNIVERSE, same capacity to make me trip and travel far, very far,

same quality of sound(Maybe Shpongle is better in this, even if Asura is more

sensitive and goan). The two are inescapable, and show to every people the

better there in the music (I would not say any more "ambient music", one

exceeded the frame of the genre with these two huge artists). I think that

they are both strongest, most original groups, of this beginning of century.

Absolutely to possess for every fan of electronic music.

[madpup]

While this album may not be as consistently good as "Are you Shpongled?", this

album definitelly reaches peaks which previous album did not, with some

amazing songs. Track 1 - Infectious, contagious spanish guitar with some

brilliant vocals (fucked with the way only Simon knows how) Track 5 - That

braziliant Samba type of melody apearing in the middle of the track - if there

is ever a song that can make me smile its this one - the best song on the

album and one of the best songs i have ever heard. Track 7 - a very

conventional song, but what a gorgeus one at that. Beatifull female vocals

with some stunning flute playing by Raj at the end. Overall while you could

not call this album psychedelic, it is a fantastic piece of music. I have

never heard of any other music that so effortlessly blends so many different

types of music into such a coherent and original sound. Shpongle surely must

be the greatest bad 99% of general public have never heard of. I believe the

time of Shpongle world domination is near.

[Jon Cocco]

This album is awesome! Simon Postford is the fucken man!!! Sorry for writing

something you already know, it's just that I'm speachless...

[psyhead]

Incredible. Just incredible.

Not much more to say.

Everything glides togheter perfect, producing the magical Shpongle sound. Got

Shpongled? I did =)

[Guest bjm]

amazing stuff!!! this is easily as good as "are you shpongled?", if not

better.... it's just a different style. world music completely tipped on it's

head by hallucinogen and co. i'm not even gonna attempt to pick fav's for

this one cause i don't think there's a single track here that's not absolutely

brilliant for one reason or another. simply some of the most beautiful music

i've ever heard. 10/10

[Guest Swede Indeed]

This is along with "Are you shpongled?" and infected mushroom's albums the best

I've ever heard. So many musical influences, yet twisted with crazy sounds.

Amazing production and soooo many cool ideas and Melodies. Voices are

beautiful and the aucustic guitars are...I don't find the word but they almost

make me cry.

All tracks are fantastic but Dorset Perception and Around The World In A Tea

Daze are a little sharper. I gave "Are you shpongled?" 1000/1000 and this is

perhaps better so...1001/1000