TANGERINE DREAM JEANNE D'ARC ALBUM TDI, BORDER RELEASE: DECEMBER 2, 2005, SPRING 2006 SWEDEN REVIEW: JUNE 11, 2006

Tangerine Dream bring you "Jeanne D’Arc" – a concept album setting the famous French liberator to modern electronic music. The tracks are all based around moments in the life of the tragic figure, from “La Vision” to “La Liberation”. Now most people know Tangerine Dream, after all next year will be the 40th year of the bands foundation. They are arguably one of the most influential, and most well known synthesizer bands of all time, and also maybe one of the only bands ever to feature a father and son in the same band (one of the founding fathers, Edgar Froese and his son Jerome). The question is though: are they still cutting it, or are they relying on past glories?

I really tried to be objective about this album, but on two occasions I could only make it to about halfway through the album, before I had to give in to my urges of wanting to do something, anything else besides carry on listening. This is not to say that the quality of the album is poor, in fact the opposite; the production is top notch and the musicianship excellent; rather it is too long (nearly 1 hour 20 mins to be precise), and not particularly engaging. The album is made up of tracks that are seemingly very similar to each other, and blended into one another in such a way that you can’t tell when one is finishing and the next one starting. The only thing I can say is after so many keyboard washes, and floating choral sounds you start to wish that this seeming film soundtrack had some pictures to go with them so you could make sense of what you’re hearing.

As much as I appreciate history, and respect such iconic figures as Jeanne D’Arc – I am pretty sure that if she were alive now, and could choose the soundtrack to her own life, she would not choose this! An over-long, overly-pompous and seriously unengaging album – background music at best I’m afraid.

MIKE WHYTE

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