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Ozric Tentacles — Harmonic Mind
(Kscope 1321, 2026, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-11-08

Harmonic Mind Cover art

I guess it’s been a while since I heard a new Ozric Tentacles album. Maybe I shouldn’t admit that the last one I listened to was Jurassic Shift (1993), which means there are a couple dozen albums I’ve missed. I can’t answer whether every album sounds essentially the same given my small sample size, but I can say that Harmonic Mind is a darn fine slab of space rock. I enjoy every grooving minute of these six tracks, and find a tasty balance of guitars, synthesizers, and rhythm that explores variations of a kind of formula without being too repetitious. The synth work is especially fun, bringing together Berlin-inflected sequences, spacy whoops and swoops, and textural pads, all in the service of pieces that explore a variety of moods. The general parameters the Ozrics work within were established decades ago, but they provide plenty of evidence here that the formula can produce consistently appealing results by varying the elements in different ways. The majority of what we hear was played or programmed by Ed Wynne on guitars and keyboards, and he also handles the bass on most tracks; Silas “Neptune” Wynne provides some extra keys on most tracks; where there are live drums, it’s Pat Garvey at the kit, and Paul Hankin adds percussion; Saskia Maxwell plays flute on a couple of tracks; and Corey Wallace contributes bass on one. Never does it sound like a one-man effort, and in spite of all the technology involved, there’s a very human touch to the music. “Space Platform” is a particularly fun track highlighted by Wallace’s bass, pulsating synths, and some wild guitar that’s not too dominant. “Sumipad” benefits from including an acoustic guitar in the mix. All in all, Harmonic Mind is quite a satisfying release, and it should please both the long-time Ozric fan and the newbie.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Ozric Tentacles, Ed Wynne, Silas & Saski

More info
http://ozrics.com

 

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