Search - Ozric Tentacles :: Yum Yum Tree

Another strong offering but alas...

Peter O'Grady | Dublin, Ireland | 05/05/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you're an Ozrics fan then, no doubt, you'll have already bought this album. I'm not going to start on the negatives, so I'll just say that this album is great. There are no bad tracks. They are all excellent, as you would expect from this superb band.



However, it is with some sadness that we see a trend starting to emerge over the past three albums. It's not so much a move towards something new but, alas, a sustained move away from something passed. If you, like me, are awaiting the next Waterfall Cities, then I'm sorry to break it to you ...it's seems those days are gone forever. Perhaps it was the greater influence of the other members, like Seaweed, that gave us the magic of The Hidden Step and Waterfall Cities. In the last albums, there is more of a reliance on programmed drum tracks and bass lines. Although these are well done, there is a certain sameness (for lack of a better word), that permeates each one. It's almost like there's too much cymbal work and worbally bass. It's just my opinion, but there's too many layers here and it confuses and offputs some songs.



I would love to be able to sit down and have a chat with Ed. Firstly, I'd probably spend some time explaining how much I love his music, but after I pluck up the courage I'd have to ask him: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR GUITAR SOUND!!?? Where the hell is that guitar sound on Coily gone!!??



Remeber Sultana Detrii, Aura Borealis, Holehedron, Arborescence, Crackerblocks, etc etc etc? These TYPE of songs are no longer Ozric material. It's such a shame.



Having said all this, I still love you Ed. But if you give us another lead as, for instance, say Plurnstyle, then I will carve out an idol of your hands and worship them."

Still not disappointed!

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 05/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, many will state that there's been more of a trend towards a programmed sound, and that the Ozrics been essentially Ed solo since Spirals in Hyperspace, with only the occasional outside help, and the Yumyum Tree is no exception. But regardless whether Ozrics was a full band, or Ed with simply a skeletal band helping on occasional cuts, I have never been disappointed with anything they've done, including this one. Many people think the Ozrics do the same thing album after album. In that case, you can level that same accusation at the Moody Blues, and they seem to get away with it (certainly, the Moodies changed with the technology, from Mellotron in the late '60s/early '70s, to early polyphonic synthesizers in the early '80s, to digital synthesizer from the mid '80s onward, but on musical grounds, not much changed). But even you can tell changes and trends with the Ozrics from album album, some are more guitar-oriented, some more synth-oriented, some lean heavier to world music, some lean heavier to techno, and so on.



The Yumyum Tree is admittedly less rock-oriented than The Floor's Too Far Away, and a bit mellower vibe, but the style is still unmistakably Ozrics, and I really can't get enough of Ed's wild guitar playing or those nice spacy synths that Ed (not to mention Brandi) provide. Here, it's Ed, Brandi, with Vinny on bass and Roy on drums. Joie and Merv are credited on two cuts, so it's nice to see the band hasn't forgotten the past. Of course, John will be missed, but remember, he wasn't on their earliest cassettes, Erpsongs, Tantric Obstacles, Live Ethereal Cereal, and There is Nothing. It was Sliding Gliding Worlds that he joined (if you wondered what became of John, he joined Dream Machine, a British/Italian space rock combo that's not unlike a mellower Ozrics, I have their 2005 release Trilogia, so I can attest to this). "Oddweird" and "Mooncalf" are often regarded as the better cuts on this CD, as they are the most "rock" oriented, but the rest of the CD is great too, as far as I'm concerned. "Oolong Oolong" really blows me away with those nice ambient synth sounds. The title track is more techno-oriented. I guess with the Ozrics, they pretty much have a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it approach", and that's why many people feel you only need only a couple releases (usually Erpland or Jurassic Shift). If you, like me, never felt the Ozrics ever made a disappointing album, The Yumyum Tree is definitely worth getting.



Just after The Yumyum Tree was finished, the band decided to make a move to Colorado. Ed's wife Brandi is American, for one thing, so I'm guessing homesickness on her behalf was one cause for the move. Not to mention the band hadn't got to tour much in the United States until recent years, so they're now able to concentrate on the North American (as well as the Latin American) market, which is easier to do being based in the States now.



I hope the new American environment doesn't hinder the quality of the Ozrics input, after all, Ed will be dealing with new studios and the American environment. Whenever a new release is under way, I'll be crossing my fingers that the American Ozrics will be as good as the UK Ozrics.



The Ozrics so far have never let me down, and this 2009 release is no exception!"

Another strong album, but more of the same

gmsaz | 05/08/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would echo some of the other sentiments found here. I love OT, and have since 1995. I have every recording (including the old 1980s cassettes re-released on disc).



This is a very enjoyable album, with the trademark sounds that we love so much (and some interesting new patches this time around). My favorites are Oddweird and Mooncalf (both are excellent, close-to-classic songs), but really, all the tracks are just fine.



So, why only 4 stars? As others have said, Ozric has pretty much become Ed's solo albums with a few guests playing bits and pieces here and there. As good as these songs are, there isn't a whole lot to distinguish them from past releases, or even from each other. They're just not that memorable.



The Ozric I once knew could write space-rock prog masterpieces like White Rhino Tea, Saucers, Arborescence, Cat DNA, Spiralmind, etc.; songs that are classic and memorable, and still hold up.



Ozric, post-Hidden Step, has lost some of that originality, even though the music is still great. More real musicians and less programming would be a start, and I miss the sound of the flutes, even if it's not John playing them.



So, if you're a fan, you have to have Yumyum Tree, and it certainly won't disappoint, but I'd like to really be blown away by an OT album again, and sadly, that hasn't happened in a while.

"