Greetings and welcome to 2006. I'd like to thank Roadburn for the opportunity to speak to you, the Roadburn
reader. Like so many types of music Space Rock covers a lot of territory. But there's a
tremendous amount of crossover potential for fans of Space and Stoner Rock and anyone
into shit kickin' HEAVY Rock.
A prime showcase for bringing these worlds together was the line-up of bands at the
2005 Roadburn festival. I mean... how many opportunities do you have to attend a fest
where you can see both Nik Turner's Space Ritual and Litmus, but also Electric
Wizard and Alabama Thunderpussy?!! And 2006 is gearing up to be even more
amazing with Hawkwind and Ozric Tentacles joining heavies like Orange Goblin, Colour Haze
and much more. VERY exciting!!!
2005 was a great year for Space Rock and 2006 threatens to be just as good if
not better. Here are a few bands with releases scheduled in the upcoming year
that we should all be waiting impatiently for, as well as several of the bands
that blew me away in 2005 and should be of interest to the Roadburn readers.
Farflung was born in the mid-1990's and for me are one of the holy grail bands
of modern Space Rock, being a primo example of what it means to be cosmically heavy. The band
has been on hiatus for a few years, but recent word from head flung man
Tommy Grenas is that they've been in the studio and further time is scheduled in February to
wrap up a new album. This is my number one NOT to be missed pick for the upcoming year.
>From the UK, Mr Quimby's Beard had a huge momentum going a few years
back after the release of their Space-Prog masterpiece, 'The Definitive Unsolved Mysteries Of...' The band
played several shows and festivals in the UK, Europe and the US, but have been quiet
for some time. However, recent news from the camp is that the long awaited new album will
see the light of day this year. My second big NOT to be missed for 2006.
Of the known upcoming releases, the debut album by Øresund Space Collective will be released
by Transubstans in the next month or so. The band is a somewhat fluid
collective of Danish and Swedish musicians from such bands as Mantric Muse, Gas Giant, Bland
Bladen, Carpet Knights and Sgt Sunshine. All improvised and all
instrumental, these guys are the ultimate cosmic jam band. Aural Innovations Space
Rock Radio will be producing an Øresund Space Collective radio special to
coincide with the release of the album.
Here's a brief rundown on the bands with some of the hottest albums of 2005 that Roadburn
readers should check out:
First Band From Outer Space is from Sweden and their debut album, 'We're Only In It
For The Space Rock', is an ass kicking blend of Space Rock, Stoner Rock and Metal.
Italian heavy rockers Insider followed up their amazing debut, 'Jammin' For Smiling God', with an equally
monstrous new album - 'Simple Water Drops.'
Another outstanding example of deep space heavy ROCK. La Ira de Dios are a guitar / bass / drums trio
from Peru who released their debut album, 'Hacia El Sol Rojo', this year. Imagine Space
Ritual era Hawkwind without the electronics and you'll get something like La Ira
de Dios' acidic power rocking brand of Space Rock and Psychedelia.
Another band whose debut hit the streets in 2005 was Seven That Spells, who come from
Croatia. Think of the most heavy rocking and most freaked out spacey Acid Mothers Temple
and that's very much like what Seven That Spells are about.
Zone Six are from Germany and have been around for a while, with members that have been in
Liquid Visions, Weltraumstaunen and Sula Bassana. Their fourth album, 'Live Wired 2004', was released
this past year and is a mind blowing set of instrumental hard driving Space and Kraut Rock.
Long jamming tracks that blast off into the stratosphere.
Finally, I want to mention a couple of the true veterans of the American underground Space
Rock scene. From Milwaukee, F/i have been releasing albums for over
20 years and in late 2005 demonstrated with their new album, Blanga, that they
can still rock in space with the best of them. Jamming, stoned, metallic and deep
in space, this was one of my favorite albums of the year.
Also not to be missed is ST 37, a Texan band who since the late 1980's have been blending Space
Rock, Kraut Rock, Punk and other styles to create a recognizable sound of their own. Later in
January Aural Innovations Space Rock Radio will host a nearly 3 hour radio special dedicated
to their music, including lots of unreleased live material.
I could have gone on for many pages as there are so many bands worthy of our attention.
But hopefully you'll find some new bands here and be pleasantly surprised by what you hear.
I'm looking forward to a fun and productive 2006 for all of us.
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