Tangerine Dream – Atem (1973)

May 8, 2024

A strange one (that’s saying something!) from the early series of Tangerine Dream albums. The unfolding soundscape is almost sinister in its composition, although it is ultimately enjoyable and even relaxing, despite the unexpected presence of drumming. I’m getting a personal sense of dissonance between the tracks; as in, there is no harmonous link between them all, and they seem very disjointed. For a project like Tangerine Dream, I think it is in important that an album can speak for itself as a whole. Atem cannot do that. This does not mean that the contents are not worthy of examining, however. There are some excellent compositions here. Unfortunately, on the sheer scale of the quality present in other early offerings from Tangerine Dream, Atem is unlikely to recieve repeat listens from me.