Space Cat - Shapes Of Sound

[Setsuko]

this realy isn't a bad release. I'm not saying that this album is a masterpiece

but it's real good... My opinion: when you're looking for a nice groove (as

you can find in many minimal) but you still like the uplifting progressive

feeling in psytrance, well... this is the wright one to get... i like the

first track but the rmx by GMS is much better... all the other tracks are

great . 'Mind Shocker' and 'Deep Rising' are the greatest in this album, made

for the dancefloor...

psychedelic rating: 7/10

[Guest Jason - Los Angeles, CA]

Compared to the last one, yes it is a lot more trendy and mainstream club style

than the last and that is a disapointment to me personally. I thought his

first album was marvelous, but this one lacks something. Snorkel Blaster is

frickin awesome (GMS remix is better, but both are great tracks). Predator,

Mindshocker and Deep Rising are good (Didn't really like it until I heard it

at a party). The rest didn't impress. So I give it a 5/10.

[seraph]

Pretty interesting album...There are no bad songs on it...BuT the Best are :

SNORKEL BLASTER , PREDATOR, C4 AND REWIND...

7.5/10

[Guest deyv]

Wow...so many varying opinions. It just goes to show the depth and intellect of

the community. I have had this album for months now and listened to it

numerous times and just can't get into the bulk of it. The psychedelic twists

are nice, but nothing new or inspirational here. The begging of the album is

rather dark with some stylistic changes with Mind Shocker...yes a great tune.

Deep rising is also nice, but what is up with the flat snare sound? When are

artists going to get a bit more creative and funky with their drum beats? I'd

Love to see some new inspired moves on the dance floor...A very psychedelic

album imo with few keepers. 6/10

[Guest PsiLoCyBe]

Depth and intellect ... well then I would have hoped that some of the reviewers

noted the AWESOME production quality ... but those who rate it bad, obviously

only took in arguement the musical apealing and not the engineering and

production. It's HARD to find such well produced music ... maybe not everyones

cup of tea when it comes to musical taste (which is well respected) but Avi

Algranati is very talented and his production skills should be noted and

respected. I rate this an awesome album !! Best tracks = 3 & 4 & 5 & gzeesus,

it's ALL GOOD 8/10 *thumbs-up!!*

[Jon Cocco]

SPACE CAT - SHAPES OF SOUND

BNE

 

01. 09'17" Snorkelblaster

02. 08'23" Space Cat (Club Mix)

03. 08'12" The Game

04. 08'13" Mind Shocker

05. 08'33" Predator

06. 09'11" C4

07. 07'80" Rewind

08. 07'24" Deep Rising

Shapes Of Sound is the second album by Avi Algranati. One if I'm not mistaken without collaborations, e.g., Simon Postford. Nonetheless, the style retains its crisp, driving, metallic, dark, and melodic ingredients. Certain songs are just A LOT catchier than others this time around, and a few sound fairly generic. The album is less Goa influenced Psytrance, more focused on Psy with a more danceable (club friendly) approach.

1. Snorkelblaster is a strong, multi-twisting psychedelic driver, scattered with cool melodic/sounds effects and pieces. Good opening.  B / B+

2. Space Cat (Club Mix) takes a little dip. The melody start is good, but that's soon gone. The melody work from 5:50 to 7:50 is very nice, emotive, uplifting, optimistic sounding. I don't hear much in the song that's memorable outside of these praises unfortunately. Still it's not bad. The melody/sound work is pleasant.  C+

3. The Game is more driving. This is a noticeable step up from the previous mediocrity, thanks to the direction from 5:26 forward. There is a catchy echoed melodic accent early on that works well too.  B / B+

4. Mindshocker the most aggressive song since the opening. It becomes more psychedelic and energetic as it progresses, accompanied by echoed metal effects. A strong melody arrives around 4:30 and makes a wonderful return in the last act. The eerie ambient effect and sound/melody work deeper in the song is haunting. These elements add character, making the song more memorable. Act 2+3 are very catchy, somewhat melancholy and interesting, and these are risks I enjoy seeing (hearing) the artist take. Mind Shocker is one of the better, if not best songs on the album.  B+

5. Predator sounds so weak compared to the previous track. This one has a bubbly tune that sounds similar to that used in the "It's time for the Purculator" song which is pretty cool, but it's not that exciting or magnetic. I don't care for the sounds and melodies overall, especially in the final third where it gets more melodic. The melody sounds as if it's whining to me. Not impressed. C+

6. C4 stands out thanks to an emotive, skipping melody along with a classy driving emphasis that gets better as the song progresses.  B+ 

7. Rewind is the maverick here, providing a slower beat marked by a dark, psychedelic, and groovy shuffle throughout. It's a bit of a surprise by Space Cat, and one of most stand out (for being different) tracks on the album whether you like it or not. This reminds me of Transwave's opening song on Hypnorhythm EP and Backfire respectively, though ironically, without the memorable melody work. Some catchy tunes would have been nice, as the song is just not THAT memorable.  B-

8. Deep Rising is a solid emotive follow up to C4. I'm surprised it was hardly mentioned before. The background ambient hymns are VERY catchy. The melody/sound work, conceptually speaking, seems club friendly to me. It's a compliment if people enjoy dancing to your track, and this is very danceable. Furthermore, the song sounds optimistically driving as it progresses. This is a great dance song with uplifting sound/melody work. It's a bit light and simple from what we've come to expect from the artist, but I like it!  B / B+

Shapes of Sound is a controversial, arguably more commercial (to some degree, not entirely) follow up to an EXCELLENT debut. The tracks sound more similar in style this time around. Less collaborations make for less variety. The album is a bit of a mixed bag (at times), but the pros outweigh the cons thanks to an artist willing to take risks (with good results) at times. Beam Me Up (1999) had more super songs. The average song is solid here. Some are great. The artist proves that he can stand without Simon Posford, but also that he cannot produce a superior album, let alone one as rich with variety and strength as the debut. Still, it packs a punch a times, delivering what fans have come to expect and enjoy, but not entirely (with every track). It would have been nice if having great songs back-to-back was more of a priority and consistent here considering it's the sequel to one of the most solid debut albums in Psy/Goa Trance. But those songs and moments scattered are also just too good to write this album off as bad. It's very good at times, and quite disappointing other times. *sigh*

Good news is the third album, Power Up is an improvement IMO, and few will deny that the artist has a catchy sound that more often works on this follow up, rather than not, but maybe that's because I'm hearing one of the better tracks right now as I write this

Favorite tracks - 1, 3, 4, 6, 8

B

My other reviews on Space Cat's albums are now up

1999 - Beam Me Up  A-

2000 - Shapes of Sound  B

2002 - Power Up  B+

2004 - Mechanical Dream  B-