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Ozric Tentacles — Curious Corn
(Snapper Music SDPCD151, 1997/2004, CD)

Curious Corn Cover art

Another new Ozrics CD, another trippy, synthy, space-rock groove fiesta. Some of the names may be new; I recognize Ed, John and Zia but Seaweed and Rad seem new to the fold, or at least to my memory. Fortunately for Ozrics fans everywhere, there seems to be an abundance of synth knob twiddlers in the UK to slide into that position as necessity dictates without the listener ever being the wiser. Actually, to give them credit, this is one of the sharper Ozrics releases in some time. I tend to like them all, though some fall too easily into redundancies and previously explored territories. While much of the Ozrics' space-rock trademarks are found on Curious Corn, there is still enough freshness overall to make it worth recommending. Perhaps this is due in part to a change in balance between guitars and synths here than on the last few Ozrics releases, with the synths seeming to take a larger quotient of the aural scenery this time out. You still won't find any blazing leads (hint, hint), but more time than usual is given to synth-driven space flight excursions with Ed's guitar solos coming relatively far and few between. While each track works on its own terms, my top pick overall is "Meander," which sports a full blend of everything the Ozrics do so well: lush, almost tropical synths laced with flute, ethnic percussion, and acoustic guitar that skips along to a vibrant heartbeat. It's a reminder that the Ozrics formula may be an aging one, but it's one that works.

by Paul Hightower, Published 1998-07-01

For the first time in who knows how long, the Ozrics really surprised me with this one. While still undeniably Ozric in every way, they have pushed further into territories they have always hinted at before, namely dance, electronica, jazz fusion, and spacey ambient. The opening "Spyroid" calmly ventures out into space while riding a smooth synth wavesequence (don't all their albums start like that?) while more and more synths embellish it and some deep percussion sounds hold everything down. "Oolite Grove" opens with a cool Ed Wynne fusion guitar solo and then morphs into a wicked synth solo from Seaweed. "Afroclonk" shows strong island-music tendencies and then moves purely into Eat Static-type dance territory. This tune may also contain more pure major chords than any other Ozric tune you could name. The title track is a long, long tune built from a simple synth bass riff and drum machine loop (although it's in an odd time, so you can't dance to it). "Oddentity" contains a clever question / answer melody between guitar and keys. "Papyrus" is the trademark Middle Eastern jammer, although this particular incarnation of the Ozric staple is jazzier than most, and again contains a wicked synth solo. "Meander" closes the album out much like "Spyroid" began it, and takes it out to deep space at the end. At only 45 minutes, and with the third and fourth tunes being very long loop-based tunes, it's hard not to feel short-changed but elated at the same time. Synth fans, take note, this album has some of the richest, warmest sounding synth sounds you'll ever hear. It's great to hear these guys expanding their horizons, if only a little bit. Become the Other may be a stronger album overall, but there is something very fresh about this release and for that reason it comes with a high recommendation.

by Dan Casey, Published 1998-07-01

Ozric Tentacles is:

  1. An amazing band making fantastic music
  2. A group who are at times "stuck in a rut"
  3. Primarily a vehicle for guitarist Ed Wynne

Which answer do you pick? Perhaps another option is required: "All of the above." First off, a disclaimer. As an owner of all of their 16 discs, I consider myself a semi-fanatic Ozric admirer. In my humble opinion they have been one of the absolute top instrumental progressive outfits of the past 15 years, and on a bad day they are better than 90% of their counterparts. This then means that one needs to compare Curious Corn to their previous offerings to put in perspective. If you happen to not be familiar with their music yet, here is a recipe. Take a foundation of You-era Gong guitar and synthesizer, add an occasional splash of dub reggae rhythms and some ethnic scales for spice. Mix well with some 90s techno sequencing and infuse with a strong sense of energy and drive. A rather tasty blend results! And now back to rating Curious Corn in the Ozric hierarchy. It has a number of great tracks including the mind-expanding "Oolite Grove" (the best song that Steve Hillage never wrote), the middle-eastern flavored "Papyrus," and the driving title track. There are also a couple of spots that drag a bit, especially if the guitar is absent for too long (oddly enough the opening track "Spyroid" is the weakest cut on the disc). Overall this is a very good disc and if it were by anyone else it would probably rate an excellent. The problem is that the Ozrics have set such incredibly high standards in the past with releases such as Erpland and Strangeitude that anything less can be a bit of a let-down. If you are a fan by all means don't deny yourself the wealth of pleasures that Curious Corn contains. If you are new to the band I'd recommend checking out their back catalog first. Either way these guys are the real thing!

by David Ashcraft, Published 1998-07-01

Filed under: Reissues, Issue 15, 2004 releases, 1997 recordings

Related artist(s): Ozric Tentacles, Ed Wynne

More info
http://kscopemusic.bandcamp.com/album/curious-corn-2020-ed-wynne-remaster

 

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