NME, 10 June 2000

Mmm, plangent. And not a little mellifluous. Sadcore like your mum used to bake, Tarentel come from San Francisco and are an extremely slow and lovely cross between that town's Red House Painters and the sainted godspeed you black emperor! Side A, "Looking For Things," is 15 minutes long, and Side B, "Searching For Things," is nearly ten minutes longer, so, if nothing else, things are proving pretty fucking elusive round Tarentel's way at the moment. Still, excellent work all told.

Cafebliss, Issue 4, August 2000

*****
Second release on the Resonant label, this time from masterful blissed out post rockers Tarentel. If you got caught up in the beauty of Tarentel's debut album From Bone To Satellite, here's your chance to do it all over again. Two tracks, "Looking for things..." and "...Searching for things" which clock in at 40 minutes between them, and even improve on the album. "Looking for things..." is near 15 minutes of pure gorgeousness and gorgeosity made flesh, before it begins transmitting distant signals of an orchestra bouncing from some distant space satellite, followed by an immensely powerful sample of a young boy relating childhood memories of "looking for things, searching for things... going on adventures." B-side "...Searching for things" carries on where the a-side left off, providing 25 more minutes of sheer beauty. 40 mins for four quid cant be bad - so splash that cash.

Pete Bauman, fakejazz, Issue Subliminable, 15 September 2000

Tarentel have produced a considerable amount of "buzz" lately, and it is for very good reason. Although often lumped into the epic instrumental rock (à la Godspeed) category, I would say that, at least with this release, they have taken a subtler approach than the drama of epic bands they are usually grouped with.

The 12" begins with "Looking For Things" which features a simple picked guitar theme accented by a low drum beat. This guitar theme, however, is so perfect in its simplicity that you don't mind hearing it repeated over and over again. This theme slowly builds, accompanied eventually by the distant wail of guitar feedback, and then with a more powerful drum beat that brings the song to a definite climax - but not a screeching wall of sound climax - which then drops out to be once again replaced by the original theme.

The reverse side brings us "Searching For Things" which is a little more on the droney side of Tarentel. It begins with a low hum which is soon overcome with another classically beautiful, picked guitar theme accompanied by some steel guitar sounding whines and a steady beat. This eventually disassembles into a drumbeat underscored with a single note. A sort of second movement, which features a very distant and muffled beat over which an occasional sparse guitar work is laid, eventually replaces this. This second movement eventually disintegrates into some otherworldly keyboard swirls.

Tarentel, like Godspeed You Black Emperor! and other bands they have been compared to, are masters at slow but steady development. The difference lies, however, is the fact that, with Tarentel, the build up doesn't always end up in a chaotic swirl of loud guitars, but often ends up in nothing but the leftovers of the original composition: a distant sample or a keyboard drone. Tarentel's "gimmick," if it can be called that, is nothing but thoughtfully and beautifully composed songs that leave a lasting impression. Tarentel certainly have earned all of the "buzz" surrounding them, and I anxiously await future releases.

rating: 11/12