Shpongle – Tales Of The Inexpressible (2001)

October 10, 2021

Shpongle’s sophomore record is a lot more texturally rich than its beat-focussed debut, and would define how the group would go on to evolve in their subsequent recordings. The artwork is a bit crap on a scale of 0 to Shpongled-as-fuck, but in a way it kinda suits the chilled out psytrance on display here.

In fact, calling Shpongle “psytrance” almost feels like forcing them into a narrow box into which they don’t really fit. Songs like “Dorset Perception”, “Around The World In A Tea Daze” and my absolute favourite, “The Star Shpongled Banner” are incredible journeys in their own right.