The dreams of cosmonauts made audible, the echo of the liftoff countdown, the semi-mechanical, semi-organic language of Sputnik and Mir, the dance of astronomical objects, luminous plumes spiralling into dark matter, deep oboe-like tones, timeless... Travelling swiftly and beautifully between my left and right eardrums, like comets, like tiny singing asteroids, clusters of stars at 20:00 into the stunning "The Basin of the Heavens." A transcendence that is something more than spiritual, I mean, how many times have you felt that particular small feeling looking up at the sky? Looking at pictures from the Hubble telescope? It's a deeply tragic feeling, lonely and aching and possibly homesick. "Cassiopeia" is especially notable, introducing the noisy, weird, techno-uncanny side of space exploration. The packaging too is gorgeous: midnight blue inlaid with starry silver.

I have to confess I had an immense earache at the time, and the in-ear headphones weren't helping, but the album allowed me to surpass the physical ache and enjoy the childlike wonder we all feel towards the universe. 10/10 -- April Larson (10 November, 2009)