PTV3

Direction ov Travel CD (Temple Records TOPY 059CD)

This album is mostly a collaboration between Psychic TV's Genesis P-Orridge, and avant-garde percussionist Z'Ev. Gen plays the Tibetan bells, Z'Ev the Tibetan bowls plus drums, and they all help mix it all together. Opening with an empty little piece of bell-tinkling, further tracks are given their texture mostly through the use of sound processing treatments, which is in some ways a pity because it doesn't really let character of the instruments themselves shine through. Needless to say, the instigators of this album would probably claim all sorts of mystical significance for it. However doubtful that must be, what remains is a nice, albeit unadventurous, album of subdued atmospheric ambience, shimmering and droning sound textures, with ritual percussion giving it a very occasional propulsive assist. Very good for what it is, but it never really travels anywhere particularly interesting. Too somnolent to ever really get going, too undeveloped to engage your concentration. (C) Brian Duguid 1995 except where otherwise noted