Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic, mind-blowing album. A must-have., May 23, 2004
That said, I think I've come to like this album a little less than Shpongle's other magnificent opus, "Are You Shpongled?" But that's really splitting hairs, this is a fantastic album that mixes some gorgeous ambience with mind-bending "post psychedelic trance," an apt term one reviewer used.The first track, "Dorset Perception" lifts the listener up with a soaring, lovely melody that I really like, a great song, but the album hits one of its peaks with the next track, "Star Shpongled Banner" with its mesmerizing flow, divine vocals, and breathtakingly lovely air to it. Now that is a track. This album hits a few less-than-spectacular notes in my opinion with tracks 4-6, but it's hard to top the majesty and transcendance of the first two songs anyway. But we're right back at the peak of musical innovation and enjoyment again with "Once Upon The Sea of Blissful Awareness" and "Around the World in a Tea Daze." "Once Upon..." sounds like you might expect it to - a shimmeringly lovely and fragile tune with jaw-dropping vocals that does indeed feel like you're floating upon a sea of blissful awareness." "Around the World..." is so varied, a shifting opus of the forms of electronica, that it's difficult to praise it properly here. Amazingly enough, it never feels haphazard though. So all in all, this is a great album, perhaps I haven't done it justice, but oh well. If this is your first time listening to Shpongle I would personally recommend the even better "Are You Shpongled?" because it has it less of the world music feel and samples to it than this album, and I don't care as highly for some world music forays as some people do. I do like the world music flourishes Juno Reactor uses, but not so much in other groups' experimentations. If that type of thing doesn't bother you or you like it, then disregard the above statement. One last note - Don't pay an arm and a leg for this CD. If you look around you can find it available fairly easily for around $16-17 which includes shipping. This is a good album, but there's no reason to be ripped off by scam artists. The same goes for "Are You Shpongled?", there's some guy on here selling a copy for $100, that's insane when a little work online will net you a copy for $20-25 with a minimum of hassle and a fourth of the price.
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let me try to express the inexpressible, November 24, 2004
The first time I heard this CD, it awoke parts of my consiousness that I didn't know were sleeping.
That may seem to be an overstatement but I assure you it isn't. It truly re-awoke my passion for music. Expecting trance/techno, I got a more world/shamanic voyage instead, and something even more indefineable that has kept me listening to it for years. From the first song, Dorset Perception, it grabs your ears and mind and doesn't let go until the soft finale of Flute Fruit.
Hightlights are:
Dorst Perception (superb intro)
Star Shpongled Banner (what a journey)
Once Upon the Sea of Blissfull Awareness (gorgeous, soothing female vocals)
Around the World in a Tea Daze (how can it get any better?!? oh, it just did)
The entire album is wonderful though and should be appreciated as a cohesive whole.
Like Alexiel and Doug and the other reviewers have stated here and on the other release page, this is the best of the best. The tribal and latin grooves totally blend into the trippy positive beat. Each song is a voyage that takes a little time to get into but is WELL worth it. They start off slow (if you can call it that) and build up to subliminal heights! You don't need chemicals to get the full effect of this music, though I'm sure they would enhance and already "fantastic voyage."
I would reccommend this CD and their first to just about anyone. The first, Are You Shpongled? is almost as good, but lacks the refinement and evolution of this one (I've since re-thought that, it is just as good, just a bit different). The album's standout track ...and the day turned into night, is a must hear though. Also good is their 3rd album Nothing Lasts But Nothing Is Lost. It doesn't quite grab me like their first two, but hey, it's SHPONGLE! Keep an eye out for a promised 4th album.
Shpongle really floats in a genre all of it's own making--somewhere in the rainbow-ether between trance, psycadelic, jungle, world and electronic music. But don't just take my word for it, read the other reviews.
One more thing. Listen to this on a great sound system for the best effect. I loved hearing on my mini-system, but when I got my new car with a high-end sound system, I can't believe all that was missing the first time around, especially in the base end. Enjoy!
UPDATE: The prices I've seen used copies going for here on Amazon are outrageous. Do yourselve a favor and track it down elsewhere on the web, or download the MP3s. For me though, this is a must-have CD.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Words can't describe...., February 27, 2005
This album is something that comes along maybe once every 10 years. I havent' heard music that makes me tingle, fly, laugh, and dance like this one for more than ten years prior to this one and for the few years since. It's incredible. These two guys, when they get together, do some incredible things. Their blend of eastern instruments and other ethnic sounds with the melodies and samples that they've chosen is outstanding. Their ability to change the tempo of the tracks from one minute to the next is unparalleled. In one album, even in particular tracks, they manage to take you on a journey all across the globe delving into some of the world's different cultures. This album will blow you away. It's as you can tell by now, one of my all time favorites, and Shpongle is one of my most revered bands of all time. No joke. Enjoy.
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by Shpongle 
