Posts Tagged ‘space rock’

Album of the day: Hawkwind – Blood of the Earth

Posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Lovingly pinched from The Obelisk: If I were to sit you down and tell you Hawkwind’s latest studio album, Blood of the Earth (Plastic Head) is an uncharted journey into synthed out psych-osis, would you be the least bit surprised? Not if you were aware that the Dave Brock-led band has been bringing listeners on similar journeys for over 40 years now, having started in 1969 and never looked back as they sped through the cosmos, endlessly trading in members, endlessly documenting their course through studio albums, live records and archival releases, resulting in a discography well past 75 entries and showing no signs of slowing and an influence nearly as far reaching as the Milky Way itself. To be blunt: if Zeus, God of Gods, were a band, he’d probably be Hawkwind.

Joining Brock who vocals, guitar and more on Hawkwind’s first studio album in half a decade is longtime drummer Richard Chadwick, bassist / vocalist Mr. Dibs, keyboardist / vocalist Tim Blake and guitarist / keyboardist Niall Hone. Dibs, Blake and Hone represent a newer contingent in Hawkwind, the latter two brought aboard in 2008 to help fill the void of Jason Stuart, who died that year following a brain hemorrhage but appears recorded on Blood of the Earth nonetheless.

The band sound dynamic and lively across the 10 tracks of the album, songs loaded with synth flourishes and psychedelia but still brought occasionally to earth with solid riffs and vocal structures, and though it’s clear Brock is leading the expedition, each member contributes ably to the material. As for what it sounds like, well, it’s Hawkwind, isn’t it?

Continue reading:  Hawkwind are Out for Blood and Don’t Care if They Have to Search the Whole Universe to Find It | The Obelisk.
(Special thanks to JJ Koczan for the very kind permission)

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Album of the day: Harvestman / USX / Minsk – Hawkwind Triad

Posted on Sunday, May 16th, 2010

Praise for Harvestman / USX / Minsk’s Hawkwind Triad from San Francisco’s Aquarius Records:  It would be pretty much impossible to fuck this one up. Steve Von Till’s (of Neurosis) Harvestman, along with psych heavies U.S. Christmas, and sludgy metallic post rockers Minsk, all covering their favorite Hawkwind jams. Exactly. ...read more

Oresund Space Collective – Dead Man In Space (vinyl)

Posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010

Lovingly piched from Ian Abrahams’ Spacerock Reviews: In the first category, since anything by them is always a treat to listen to, is a three-track limited edition vinyl of Oresund Space Collective‘s Dead Man In Space release from late 2009 that OSC’s Scott Heller had very kindly sent me a ...read more

Album of the day: White Hills – S/T

Posted on Monday, February 15th, 2010

Lovingly pinched from The Quietus: Twenty-first Century space rock juggernauts White Hills‘ first blip on the radar, outside of their native New York, probably came in 2005 when Julian Cope, in his guise of tastemaker to the tuned in and turned on, started bigging them up on his rather marvellous ...read more

Album of the day: First band from Outer Space – The Guitar is mightier than the Gun

Posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Lovingly pinched from Lowcut: This was originally released on a limited edition vinyl LP on the Kommun2 label earlier this year in 300 copies. I think it is still possible to find a copy around but it is getting scarce now. Anyway, this is the digital version and it also ...read more

Astrosoniq celebrates 10th anniversary on 10-10 with new album!

Posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Dutch spacerockers Astrosoniq will release their fifth album Quadrant in the Benelux on their own label Spacejam Records on 9 October.  The release is exactly one day before their 10th anniversary on 10.10, which they will celebrate in style in the band’s hometown of Oss. “The Wizards of Oss” will ...read more

Album of the day: SubArachnoid Space – Eight bells

Posted on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Lovingly pinched from OregonLive.com: Call it what you will — a trip, a trance, a journey — but heavy instrumental four-piece SubArachnoid Space soundtracks the superconscious, with all the breadth of wonderment and horror between sleep and wake and between Dali paintings and Cortazar stories. Guitarist Melynda Jackson moved the ...read more

Album of the day: Litmus – Aurora

Posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009

Lovingly pinched from The Obelisk:  They’re based in the UK, but there’s really no telling where planet-hopping space rockers Litmus might end up in or out of this feebly-armed galaxy by the end of their third album, Aurora, and where they might take you likewise. Their second album on Rise ...read more

White Hills: new album in the works; EP announced.

Posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

White Hills are currently working on the upcoming album for Thrill Jockey Records.“I will not say much about it at this time except for that it is coming along nicely!”, says White Hills singer / guitarist Dave. “Ego and I have worked with three different drummers on this album. They ...read more

Album of the day: Astra – The Weirding

Posted on Sunday, July 5th, 2009

Lovingly pinched from our spiritual brethren at Aural-Innovations: When I first heard The Weirding, the epic debut album from San Diego’s Astra, I had zero information on the band, other than a release date of 2009. Was this a re-issue of some lost album from 1970, I seriously wondered? It ...read more

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