As mentioned, some copies of this album were pressed with no right channel. I bought the faulty CD to replace my first copy, which was totally scratched beyond recognition. Now I have two barely playable CDs (the first IS stereo but won't play past track 3). Very annoying! I've tried duplicating the single left side channel in Audacity to create a balanced mono version, but it's hardly ideal! Big tip - if you see this album, insist on playing it before you buy, or at least accept it might not work.

Timeshard’s Crystal Oscillations is a real electronic journey, from the psy-trance techno of the first tracks to the spaced out ambience of the last, a must for all lovers of the genre. Track one; Voodoo Chronometer-an ambient/acid techno groove- takes a while to get going. It ambles along amicably with no real intent for three minutes or so then finally gives us a half decent buildup and a bass-line almost worth the wait. The Orbital-like bleeps and hydrochloric mutterings which follow make for a quality tune from here on in and it even kicks off a bit more towards the end but it’s too little too late I feel. In contrast, track two, 25th Century, gets rolling quickly and settles into a progressive ambient trance groove which moves along at a nice pace and holds our focus throughout with some subtle synth sounds, shimmering trance moments and a hypnotic rhythm to boot. Psionic Lattice is next up. Another upbeat tune, it combines elements of techno, acid and trance with a bit of ambient thrown in. Lots of good stuff going on here but I can’t help thinking that the background synths don’t really fit in with the rest of the piece, especially the cascading waterfall of a melody which is sublime. Metamind slows things down a notch or three. Lovely trancy intro then the succulent bass arrives right on cue. Great, crisp percussive work on this track and what could be Steve Hillage’s twin brother on guitar in the shadows. This piece is a lot more chilled than the previous three but captures the ear in a way that he others don’t. It lulls and enchants dreamily. Great stuff. The mood changes again for Oracle-an acid, space dub, which bounces along as if a group of visiting aliens had commandeered some discarded seventies children’s space hoppers and are off on an earth adventure. As such, this is a very uplifting and cheerful tune, and we are in no doubt that our little green men are friendly, inquisitive wee chaps. After a day exploring forest, field and village, they return to their spaceship in the clearing, still bouncing, though now slightly more sedately after the day’s exertions. The paperwork can wait ‘til morning. The album winds down further with track six; Cosmic Carrot, which is a slow, spacey sitar laced affair, bringing to mind smoke-filled Indian teahouses and snake charmers plying their trade in dusty, backstreet alleyways. This version doesn’t pick up pace as the one on the Peel Your Head release on Strange Fruit does, maintaining it’s leisurely amble throughout. Crystal Oscillations, the title track and the longest on the album is a real spaced-out piece starting in a Namlook kind of mood with some really beautiful ambient swirls. The tribal drumming starts up around three minutes in and is combined masterfully with both the sweeping synths and stellar bleeps which really drag us into the soundscape. The sitar from Cosmic Carrot returns also to add its Eastern flavour to the mix. Human Error is an ambient Orb-esque tapestry; best appreciated extremely late at night or just as the sun is coming up. Sweeping ambience dominates the piece, juxtaposed with alien murmurings and eerie voices. Secret Song of the Sea starts off in the murky depths of some giant underwater chasm and moves slowly towards the surface. It wouldn’t sound out of place on an Ozric Tentacles album -lots of soaring synth work here. It lazily kicks in around the five minute mark as our submarine craft rises then the beat fades as we begin to see shafts of glinting sunlight slanting through the water from the world above, before we break the waves.. Track ten. Deep space or deep water, the choice is yours. Either way, it’s dark and I really don’t want to bump into The Others mentioned in the title.