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35007 - "35007"
FIVE HORSE JOHNSON - "The No. 6 Dance"
NEBULA - "Charged"
SPIRIT CARAVAN - "Elusive Truth"
|  |  | 35007
"35007" [ CD/10" - Stickman Records ]
35007 (or Loose) are quite simply the best space-rock band going. And thisis their best record. Devoid of vocals, this is straight-to-the-point spaceriffing plus cool sound effects. Truthfully, you just don't need any morethan that. This 35007 release sounds like Kyuss' "Asteroid" if it was playedby mid 70's Hawkwind. Great riffs being stretched out, deconstructed andreconstructed, and all the while there is a backdrop of crazy space effects.Guaranteed to have your head bobbing and a real treat when played on theheadphones.
Like a continuously evolving tapestry, side one of this 10" has manydifferent colors and shades. "Von Braun" kicks things off with aparticularly heavy section backed by some really wild sound effects. Theintensity builds and builds as two riffs alternate back and forth before asearing guitar solo drops in and takes it through to the end. A trippy fadeout gives you a little time to draw a breath and figure out what just hityou, then the amazing, "Artificial Intelligence" takes off. Spurningtraditional song structure, a guitar solo comes in very earlyand then a mesmerizing sequence ensues. One riff gives way to another, thetwo bounce back and forth, a guitar solo drops, and reality gets a littlesketchy. A really evil locked groove at the end of the song makes it soundlike it's lasting forever, then you realize what's going on. Whew.
Time for side two.
"Sea of Tranquillity" is a space voyage in the very literal sense. The"vocal" track is a NASA transmission of a space launch. The music is aseries of dynamically opposed sections that rock your ass one minute andsoothe you the next. The keyboards in this song are the real standout forme, creating the mood and coloring the sound. This is space rock!
drew
T R A C K L I S T
1. Von Braun
2. Artificial Intelligence
3. Sea of Tranquillity
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|  | | FIVE HORSE JOHNSON
"The No. 6 Dance" [ CD - Small Stone Records ]
O-HI-O. Say it with me now. O-HI-O.
What does it mean? Booty Swingin' HipShakin' Rock, that's what. Say it again now: Motherfucking O motherfuckingHI motherfucking O = rock. Five Horse Johnson are a bad-ass rock and roll.From where? You know where. You're not stupid right? You know I'm talkingabout gawd-damn-big-riff-southern-swang-groovin'-and-movin' rock and rollwith a fuck you attitude. Rock truth as honest and ugly as sweat soaked hairand zits under your guitar strap.
Put this record on and feel cleansed. Purged of phoniness. This is the Top40 antidote. This is what Texas would sound like if it was a heavy rockband. Shuffling and grooving along, FHJ channel the spirit of vintage ZZTop, Black Oak Arkansas and the heavy parts of Lynyrd Skynyrd and embellishit with razor sharp modern sound. Throw in some rudimentary harmonychoruses, hammond organ, harmonica, steel guitar, melotron and piano and allof sudden your looking at one kick-ass record.
To me the highlight is the cover of "It Ain't Easy". The voice of FHJ oozescigarette smoke and liquor intoxication yet booms with the conviction of therighteous. Set against Bowie's ziggy-era opus of glam decadence, some kindof alchemy takes place and creates musical gold. A strong case could also bemade for the 14+ minute jam of "Odella" or the easy-greasy blues slide of"Hollerin'". The big riff uptempo blasters like "Mississippi King", "Silver"and "Lollipop" are as infectious as ebola, and they leave you just asknocked out. O-HI-O!
drew
T R A C K L I S T
1. Intro
2. Mississippi King
3. Spillin' Fire
4. Silver
5. Gods of Demolition
6. Shine Around
7. It Ain't Easy
8. Hollerin'
9. Lollipop
10. Swallow the World
11. Buzzard Luck
12. Odella
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|  | | NEBULA
"Charged" [ CD - Sup Pop Records - www.nebulamusic.com ]
They're baaaaaaaaack! Mark, Eddie and Ruben have another slab o' wax comingat you, and it's chock full of everything Nebula-ish. Snappy high-energydrumming? It's in there. Spacy trip-out sections? It's in there. Guitar heropyrotechnics? Über-fuzz unison riffing? Flaming gongs? It's all in there."Charged" also has that slick production that the Hellacopters startedsporting once they were on SubPop, but hey, that's what the kids like,right? You betcha. You like Nebula? You'll find what you want on thisrecord. You like dirty, gritty, garagy production? Listen to "Let it Burn".
drew
T R A C K L I S T
1. Do It Now
2. Beyond
3. Giant
4. Travelin' Man's Blues
5. Instant Gravitation
6. This One
7. Ignition
8. Shaker
9. Goodbye Yesterday
10. All The Way
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|  | | SPIRIT CARAVAN
"Elusive Truth" [ CD - Tolotta Records ]
It's a tough task to follow up an album as brilliant as SC's "Jug FullaSun". Of course, it does help when you are a savvy veteran band led by oneof the true living legends in metal. So how did Wino and Spirit Caravan doon their follow-up? Pretty damn well. This album will not disappoint anylong time Wino fans, nor any Spirit Caravan fans. It picks up right where"Jug..." left off.
Elusive Truth is full of smoky riffs that never hurry or try too hard, thesign of mature song writing. Of course, Wino's incredible guitar tone andsinging is all over this record as well. His trademark style is instantlyrecognizable whether it's from 1980's era Obsessed, Saint Vitus or SpiritCaravan. The riff writing and song crafting has maintained the sameridiculously high quality through the years and if anything, has gottenbetter. The only thing that has changed is his lyrical content, which is nowas deep and interesting as his tone.
Bandmates Gary Isom and Dave Sherman are a great rhythm section, so in tunewith Wino that you'll think they've played together for the last 20 years.Both contribute excellent tracks here, with Sherman writing the potentiallyautobiographical "Retroman", and Isom the excellent "Cloudy Mirror" whichdeals with a friend's descent into drug hell. As for the Wino songs, you'llfind exploration into issues like: the afterlife, the nature of knowledge,the meaning of existence -- you know, the important stuff. That's probablythe best thing about SC, the way they give you great riffs, great music, andgreat subject matter.
The only problems I can find with this release are in the production. Itseems overly compressed and gated, and it robs some of the natural warmthand lightness from the recording. It comes through most dramatically in thesound of the cymbals which seem like they are being played in a vacuumchamber or something. Certainly the sound comes nowhere near their amazinglive presence, but hey, that just gives you more reason to go see them whenthey come to your town. The bottom line is this, SC are one of the greatestbands playing heavy rock today and they deserve your worship.
drew
T R A C K L I S T
1. Spirit Caravan
2. Black Flower
3. Retroman
4. Find It
5. Futility's Reasons
6. Cloudy Mirror
7. Elusive Truth
8. Darkness & Longing
9. Lifer City
10. Outlaw Wizard
11. The Departure
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