Member:
ffroyd
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by ffroyd)
Date:
2/8/2012
Format:
CD (Album)
Space rock, as a genre, has been around since the early 70s. Although the music has never really caught on with the general public, it remains to have a loyal following with many artists still creating great and memorable works. It survives these days in large part due to the ability of many artists to collaborate over the internet with others from all over the globe. For example, California resident Don Falcone has the project Spirits Burning which has enabled him to release several CDs featuring contributions from a multitude of artists from bands like Gong, Hawkwind, Acid Mothers Temple and many, many others. There are quite a few of these types of collaborations these days and while these are hardly ever represented by a live touring unit, the results are often very interesting.
While maybe not as vast in scope as Spirits Burning, bassist Dave Adams has created a project called Osiris the Rebirth (referring back to an 80s band) which has released two stunning albums in the past few years. Working closely with fellow space traveler Milo Black, their latest CD features contributions from a few familiar names including former Hawkwind vocalist Bridget Wishart, founder of the Aural Innovations webzine Jerry Kranitz, viper violinist extraordinaire Cyndee Lee Rule and accomplished saxophonist formerly of Cosmic Brotherhood of Ra, Erik Schroeder.
Member:
ffroyd
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by ffroyd)
Date:
2/8/2012
Format:
CD (Album)
As is to be expected, the music is an intense and dynamic blend of space rock and psychedelia with some very interesting narrative parts. The tracks offer a wide range in diversity that can go from beautiful melodic and mellow passages to powerfully and heavy hitting moments. I guess it wouldn’t be space rock with a good amount of swirling synth tones and this disc has an ample supply of those. What I found surprising was the abundant use of female voices on here. Not only is Bridget Wishart prominently featured but we also hear from Kim Novak, Jude Merryweather, Tina Thomas and Becci Marks who all provide impressive vocals.
While everything on here is excellent, there a few tracks that stand out. The piece “Planetscape” has several moments where I could have sworn it was from a lost Ozric Tentacles album and then there’s the 24 minute epic “The Mirror Of Her Dreams” which features lots of great solo spots from Cyndee, Erik and flautist Jane Coath. This track really needs to be heard to truly be appreciated. Words just don’t do it justice.
While these sorts of projects may not have the same cohesion as recordings from bands that have the ability to rehearse and collaborate face to face, they still have the potential for some very interesting sounds. Released on the Dragon’s Toothpaste label Lost should be an excellent addition to any space rock fan’s music collection.
|
|
|
