Tangerine Dream can be an insurmountable mountain. They virtually invented popular electronic music, and they’ve released over 100 albums. In the 1970s, they crafted left-field records like Phaedra and Zeit. In the 1980s, they made soundtracks for everything from Legend to Risky Business.
(They also did some stuff we won’t talk about.)
Needless to say, a band doesn’t exist for five decades without going through some changes. Their sound was always evolving, and so was the lineup. When founder Edgar Froese passed away in 2015, things were left uncertain. His widow Bianca provided the band with tape archives and software patches, and they’ve integrated some of that into the new record. The current roster consists of longtime music director Thorsten Quaeschning, violinist Hoshiko Yamane, Paul Frick, and Ulrich Scnhauss.
So, how is it? Well, it’s Tangerine Dream. And I’d say they’re in top form.
Of course, somebody’s going to mention that ‘You’re Always on Time’ sounds like something from Stranger Things or that the title track evokes Steve Roach. Continued...