Aqua - Spirit Zone

A little late on this one we know, but after some strong tracks and a good reputation for mid-set psychedelic grooves this album is worth checking out. Hyperfocus kicks things off in a nicely manic flavour, with semi-harsh lines filter in and out giving ample fuel for those stomping feet. Plan-B features an initially sparse groove and some awesome pads that make for a moody, atmospheric sound before detroity techno synths and restrained psychedelic growls take it further. Vector features M.C. Maichel of X-Dream, and the influence is evident: a blistering rhythm section provides the backbone for some truly psychedelic synth runs, peaking the intensity at somewhere around 8.3 on the Richter scale. Anemony is a very laid back, lounge-jazz offering with plenty of class, all very well but it does have the effect of disrupting the flow of the album and is likely to have you skipping on to How Do You Like Me Now?, a Delta-tinged industrial groover. Waterproof is chilled to the point of almost-coma, with bluesy slide guitar lazily swaggering over drunk beats, again though it interrupts the flow rather than creating a balance. The Return is a laid-back, tecchy little tune with nice light melodies swirling about for a nice morning tune, immediately after which is Changes, another laid back (verging on the coma again). Quicksand is a clockwork-style trancer with odd melodies that don’t quite work, making for a sort of grating-polka sort of effect, while the barking 303 of Captain Proton is sure to get you smiling as you stomp. M.C. Maichel returns to help lay down Expect The Unexpected, a spacey electro comedown number which is all very well, though you are left wishing that something unexpected would happen. The laid back tunes seriously get in the way and interrupt the flow of the album, and if you program them out it seems to hang together better. This is close to being a good album, but somewhere along the line it lost its way.

They come in, they build up, they are big and round and it takes a while to get round to reviewing them.