Paper Monkeys

i love that a band that has been around as long as the ozrics is still evolving. waterfall cities started the band in a new direction with a less organic and more electronic sound. hidden step, spirals in hyperspace, and floor's too far away continued this trend with each of these three sounding more and more like an Ed solo project. yumyum tree, while good, was disappointing to me. it had more of a "band" vibe than the previous three, but after the promising start of magick valley it lacked gusto.then paper monkeys arrived on my doorstep.this is the album that i had hoped yumyum tree would be. it has a great "band" vibe, super-slick production (the best sounding ozrics release to date), and best of all - tons of energy. the opening track hits hard within the first second and never lets up. the songs settle down a bit after that, but continue strong for the next 6 tracks before mellowing out for the final 2. this album may be my favorite ozrics album so far (i'll need more time to be sure). the band hasn't lost sight of its roots and you can hear plenty that would fit in perfectly with pre-2000's ozrics, which is a relief as i have loved this band for so long for a reason - their sound is unique and amazing. yet while so many bands settle into a groove and never get out, the ozrics seem to keep evolving and paper monkeys is a big step in that evolution. the percussion and synths on this release really shine, and the tracks contain a level of sophistication and maturity that is beyond anything they have previously released. it's as if ed spent a month with simon posford and absorbed some of the technical wizardry that the shpongle mastermind possesses. the drums sound great, with oli apparently playing electronic drums instead of ed programming them, and brandi sounds better than ever on the bass. the more i listen the more i feel that this album has a certain "something" that no other ozrics album has - or rather, several "somethings": maturity, cohesiveness, brilliant composition, exceptional production, and lots and lots of creativity and energy. this is one release i'll be listening to happily for many years to come.those who seem to hate this release - they seem to all have something in common. erpland is continually mentioned as being the golden era of the ozrics. well, the erpland days are gone and not coming back. this band has been evolving and if you are willing to open your mind to the new direction they have taken, i think that you'll find there are many wonders to be found in this new release. also, it certainly pays to listen to this either with headphones, or very loudly on a high-quality stereo system. it makes a *huge* difference - this is music that rewards you for giving it your full attention. finally, the MP3 versions just don't do justice to this album. until FLAC becomes mainstream, buying the actual CD is the way to go for music like this.thank you to ed, brandi, silas, and oli for continuing to release innovative, exciting, wonderful music for so many years (decades!).

It wasn't much more than a few years ago that I'd never heard of Ozric Tentacles. Then I stumbled upon them one day on Pandora.com. Since then, I have purchased all of their studio albums, both DVD's (I had to make a Herculean effort to find a playable copy of Pongmaster's Ball), and some live works. Thus, I've been exposed to the expanse of the band's history within a fairly compressed period of time.Okay, so the current band isn't the original line-up (get over it) and the material primarily reflects the contribution of Ed Wynne with less of a creative role from the other players. Actually, we don't know who did what (including the interesting cover art) because the liner notes don't tell us. Other than satisfying our desire for a backstory, though, it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, this is still a very fine album in the tradition of Ozric Tentacles. I think there is some freshness in these tracks that is quite tasty and some very nice grooves.I personally have enjoyed every phase of this band's development and found that each line-up brought something special. As I absorbed their catalog, I was pleased that Jumpin' John moved on and the band evolved. I suspect that for a lot of people, however, what you like best of the Ozrics, may coincide with what you heard first. Those who became fixated on the original mix of players, perhaps had a harder time opening up to what came later. I'm only speculating. When it comes down to musical quality, some of their albums have been stronger than others, certain ones have taken more time to grow on me, but I 've liked them all accepting each on its own terms. Perhaps it helped that I jumped around over their history as I bought albums.I did not have to TRY to like "Paper Monkeys" I found it engaging from the beginning. There was enough sameness that it seemed like the Ozrics of before, and enough newness that I was glad that I'd joined them in coming on another sojourn. It was a pleasure from beginning to end. So . . . open yourself up, let the music wash over you, and let the eventual familiarity increase your enjoyment even more.

I've been listening to this album for almost two months and I still hear these new sounds or inner groves in the music I didn't hear before. I love that deeper complexity where an album will go deeper when you listen deeper. There are some excellent ideas and sounds in this music and the fidelity is very good being digital. The biggest weakness I can find is the choice for putting Attack Of The Vapours first track. It should be next to last when the listener has a better chance at appreciating it's sheer speed and effect. Listeners should re-order this track for a better listening experience. The second track is a perfect opener and the rest of the ordering is without fault. I'm OCD when it comes to track ordering. I'm giving this 5 stars because it deserves at least 4 stars and some so-called fans are giving it one star. This I cannot understand. I happen to be a big fan of the older Ozric's albums too (own everything !) and have seen them live many times in both decades. I too admire the past band line-ups, but I still don't understand the negative comments some people have written regarding the current talent. Especially Brandi who is a phenomenal musician and beautiful person. Yes, the music is done more 'in the computer' with electronic drums, etc. But I think it's important to remember that all musicians evolve. This IS the Ozric's evolution and you can choose to evolve with or without them. The last album evolution YUM YUM TREE was also excellent, highly recommended!! I choose OZRIC T yesterday and today. I thank the band for continuing the journey as their music is the perfect soundtrack to my life then, now, and I need even more of it in the future. Peace.

One of my all time favourite intros from Knurl, nice simple bass line to start with accompanied by some really intricate drumming, great track. Lost in the Sky has some great rock guitar and Paper Monkeys too with great rhythm. Plowm reminds me of Edgar Winter's Frankenstien another great track. The Will of the Wisps is a return to some more beautiful music. Air City is a modern interpretation of jungle music with lovely keyboards. i already have ten of the Ozrics albums and this is another worthy addition. There isn't anything else like it. Love it.

Why has this album had some negative reviews? I have all of their earlier stuff and have not heard an album I didn't like - even The Yum Yum tree! But I approached this album with sine trepidation given the reviews. After the first minute I was a bit worried by the drum intro which is very unusual for them. But then I was swept away by sheer Ozrics magic. Its a classic. Slightly heavier than usual but layer upon layer of spacey weirditude. No weak tracks at all. Best played at full welly. Love it!

One of the best Ozric LPs in my opinion. Plenty going on to keep your attention. Vinyl pressing is faultless, a credit to the label. Covers very good with anti stat poly liners. Brilliant product all round! Get it.

CD in excellent condition, received in good order

I bought paper monkeys last week and I have been playing it in the car, it keeps me chilled out in the heavy traffic. It is a great album. With other bands I might pick out favorite tracks with the ozric's I play the whole thing. Great music .