The year is now 2005 but the heart of most of the music on Arcturus is rooted back in the 1970s when Tangerine Dream pioneered a style of spacemusic and sequencing that is still in vogue in parts of the EM community. This album is a live recording from the duo Ian Boddy and Mark Shreeve who get together under the name Arc. Both of the musicians have distinctive styles though, so one can sometimes guess at who is playing what sounds. It's very much a retro outing both in its use of analogue equipment and the musical style which has classic TD written all over it. Arcturus is almost like an old vinyl record in that it has a part 1 and part 2 track which are each over twenty minutes long, but it also has an additional track called "Helicon" running at nearly sixteen minutes. Right from the beginning of "Arcturus - Part 1" we are taken to the wonders of outer space and celestial objects. Eerie synth lines move around like cosmic winds as strange chirping sounds come in briefly and flutey refrains add to the atmospherics. After a few minutes a fat sequence starts up to be joined by male chorals and a slightly distant sounding melody, it's reminiscent of Rubycon but with more energy - and like that TD album the track ends quietly. The second track "Arcturus - Part 2" follows a similar motif with a subdued start of synths and effects before the main sequencing event, concluding with an eased down section. The retro feel of this second track is less pronounced, indeed some aspects near the beginning are rather gothic sounding - especially the church organ like sounds. I think the influence of Ian Boddy is more noticeable on this piece; some of the rhythms and sequencing are more like what I'd expect from him than Mark Shreeve. Not surprisingly the final track "Helicon" is similarly structured to the first two pieces. Besides being the least retro of the lot, its mood is more contemplative in the early sequencing passage which is also quite melodic. These days I'm happy to listen to a retro album, though I can just as easily leave it. Arc tread the path I prefer for this kind of music where the motifs are familiar but it's not done merely as a reworking of old TD material.