Today's song is by a band I've never known before since I listened to it on a new sampler by Cherry-Red records featuring songs from the shoegaze/dreampop era. Drop released Within And Beyond as an EP in 1991 and sadly I couldn't find more information in the internet about them. When I listen to their songs I think Drop were just another overlooked band from this genre/era. A band that could play in the same league like Ride and Spacemen 3 because their sound is similar with brilliant guitars inviting you to a short trip into space. Like living in a lava lamp, beautifully slow and quick moments, shifting into another thing.
Martin Jenkins aka Pye Corner Audio announced a new record to be released next month. I know that many people out there are listening to his music with big fun and so am I. He gave me throughout the last years many tracks that have regular plays at my place. Warmth Of The Sun is probably the final result of his collaboration with Andy Bell from Ride and a testimony about new psychedelic adventures in far out spaces. Exactly a distillery of Spacemen 3, Ride and Spiritualized. Looking forward to an album that could reach a high place at my years end list.
Damage Control by New York based duo The Vacant Lots was released earlier this month and didn't made it on my year-end list just because it was no regular album. It is a compilation of various EP's they made during the last years and well worth to be checked out because their own definition of droning, psychedelic sound that includes the best of Spaceman 3, JAMC, VU and sometimes Echo and the Bunnymen was one of the freshest ones I listened to this year. They don't definite this genre new of course but holding the flag of drone music high is not the worst thing in days like these.
As I grubbed in the depth of my hard drive a few days ago I found some songs I didn't listen for a long time and it made me smile to listen to them once again. Once of them was by Galaxie 500 an American alternative band existing four years from 1989 on. It was the time when American alternative music sounded fresh and new. I really like their sound guitar dominated sounds inspired by The Velvets and Spaceman 3. Sadly they didn't got the recognition they should have because their first two albums should be named as one of the best guitar albums of this decade. This song is from a Peel session in the late 80's.
Jason Pierce aka former Spaceman 3 and now Spiritualized released a new album these days. And it filled just what I expected: Some semi-acoustic love songs like The Morning After and punpers like A Perfect Miracle or On The Sunshine where he puts out his guitar and takes us to a ride into space-rock, jazzy heaven. You ought to listen to this songs loud so that you can hear the the greatness of this songs between traditional songwriting and spaced out feed-back sound. Not the music that gets into your ears and stay at your attention but if you listen several times you will listen to an album Pierce worked for years to deserve it to us.
John Peel invited Loop for several sessions between 1987 and 1991. Loop was a band formed in Croydon in the late 80's and made a guitar dominated space rock influenced independent sound. It is a band that was almost forgotten and it was the same to me until I found the record in my collection a few days ago. They sounded a bit like Spaceman 3 with their harsh fuzz-laden, pulsing guitar riffs, monotonous vocals and distinctive drum patterns to built their unique soundscape. They were also influenced by German Krautrock and Detroit rock. Once more a band I am glad to rediscovered again.
Spacemen 3 was an English alternative rock band from Rugby, Warwickshire. It was founded in 1982 by Pete Kember and Jason Pierce. Their style was to be assigned to the space to rock and the shoegazing. In 1991 they resolved and Jason Pierce founded Spiritualized together with Jon Mattock. Besides, they developed from her motto "three chords good - two chords better - one chord best" an independent, uncompromising sound and fell under influence, among the rest, under tape like MC5, The Stooges, 13Th Floor Elevator and The velvet Underground. They released their masterpiece back in 1988 with 'Playing With Fire' an epic album by some weird ones. Differences of opinion between both dominant leaders were every now and then the reason that such an album could originate. It's a compact recording and the gift to their fans. Most of the song on this record were mellow, slower and soft like Spiritualized used to play a few years later. But there was one song on this album that drove me almost crazy when I first listened to it. 'Revolution' is this kind of song you listen for the first time and you'll never forget. A song only played with riffs, echoes and feedback with an steady going bass line (that comes angry to your ears) and lyrics that was written against the politic of Mrs. Thatcher (like most of the bands in this era did). I can remember when I listen to this song for the first time. It was at the end of 1988 and we had in Southern Germany the ability to listen to Alan Bangs (we called him the poor man's John Peel). When he made his last radio show before he was banned from the airplay because his kind of music wasn't compatible to the mainstream he made a two hours set with the music he was influenced and addicted to. Me and a couple of friends listened to this show and I was captured by this song. I thought by myself: This one must be much more an awesome song when you smoked something good.
Tune up loud and give yourself a pleasure while listening to it.
Have a good weekend people
it's a new day and I'm ready for a new post. I spent a couple of hours with a very good friend on my balcony smoking, drinking and philosophize about life, relationship and some more essential things. Now I'll finish with some heavy stuff from Spaceman 3. Still love this song, because it's so simple but very impressive.
