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| Tangerine Dream - Mars Polaris |
 Released: 1999 Label: TDI Music Cat. No.: Total Time: 70:55 | |
Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, October 1999 I may have said it before, but it seems that a new Tangerine Dream release is out every month. Aside from the reissues of past releases. But, when you create music for soundtracks as well as for yourself, you're bound to generate a lot of material. So, the Tangerine Dream review for this month is (one of) their latest - Mars Polaris. Mars has almost always been a subject of mystery or speculation - one could name half a dozen authors from this decade alone, I'm sure. And, with our recent explorations, the Red Planet's profile has gone up dramatically. The ten sonic explorations that Tangerine Dream explore on this disc are, in some ways, more of the same. In this case, I'm meaning a good thing. Edgar and Jerome Froese have become so good at this, so adept at their programming, that performance is no longer an issue. Obviously, though, in a recorded setting, if you miss fire a sequence, you can rewind and start over. It would be interesting to see, because I haven't, if their precision and synchronicity hold up in a live setting. "Comet's Figure Head" begins things with the sonic representation of a comet coming closer and closer, the burnoff trailing behind it. It's an interesting effect as the music gradually builds. "Astrophobia" is unlike any of the other tracks on this disk, as it sounds more like Future Sound of London or Spacetime Continuum. It is processed percussion with an almost techno feel, while keyboard phrases dance over it. This is an active and energizing track. On "track name," there is a keyboard phrase that reminds me very much of ex-Tangerine Dreamer Christopher Franke's Babylon 5 soundtrack work - that deep, throaty tone he gets is the same here. Unconscious or a tip of the hat, I don't know. But, given Mars played a big part in that series...and this album is about Mars...the latter is likely. And, could "Outland (The Colony)" be a reference to the Sean Connery vehicle nearly 20 years ago? (though I don't recall Mars playing a part in that movie). [Perhaps it was an uncredited cameo? -ed.]. This is a great package, from the photos in the booklet to the simple but elegant cover (with gold-leaf like letter not visible in the reproduction above). Obviously, the photos inside are of Mars, but also of spacecraft such as the Mars Polar Lander (one of 'em may, in fact, be an artist's rendering). Plus, the package includes Mars facts and Mars Polar Lander facts. Plus, the Froeses have written a short piece on the Martian Seal - the Mon Olympus Seal, a feature on the planet's surface. This is an excellent and lush album, though there are a few cold, overly processed moments. Recommended. More about Mars Polaris: Track Listing: Comet's Figure Head (10:02) / Rim of Schiaparelli (6:15) / Pilots of the Ether Belt (10:15) / Deep Space Cruiser (4:42) / Outland (The Colony) (9:15) / Spiral Star Date (6:13) / Mars Mission Counter (5:45) / Astrophobia (9:57) / Tharsis Maneuver (4:31) / Dies Martis (TransMercury) (4:00) Sound Files: Real Audio format, www.tangerinedream.de/samples/polaris.html Musicians: Contact: Website: www.tangerinedream.org Discography
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