Ozric Tentacles - "Waterfall Cities"
(Phoenix Rising 1999, 2005)
Ozric Tentacles - "Waterfall Cities"
(Phoenix Rising 1999, 2005)
From Aural Innovations #8 (October 1999)
I probably shouldn't review new Ozric Tentacles releases because people are going to start thinking I'm down on the band, which isn't the case. Waterfall Cities is a hard driving set of cosmic kick ass spacerock. The musicianship is top notch and the band is as tight as ever. And... the formula is intact. Once again, we hear nothing to distinguish this new release from previous albums. I know there's no shortage of creativity among the band members. Their various side projects are a testament to that. Maybe they're playing it safe.
That said, I bought Waterfall Cities while attending an Ozrics show in Cleveland and I'll tell you that despite my criticism of their recordings I'd gladly hear the same set of tunes over and over if given the opportunity to see the band live. I don't think there was a single member of the audience, myself included, who wasn't blown away by this group of musicians. With the Fruit Salad lightshow embellishing the experience the Ozrics plowed their way through the concert equivalent of a super nova. And there are already some discussions of the band headlining next year's Strange Daze festival.
I also confess that despite my criticisms of the Ozric's recordings Waterfall Cities got some serious airplay on my car stereo. Their music succeeds equally whether rocking hard or dreamily floating. It FEELS good! The ultimate aural mind/body experience. I'll now file Waterfall Cities with the rest of my Ozric Tentacles CD's... still waiting for some adventure... some risk taking. This seems to be readily available in stores.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz