The first CD was good – very good! But, with only two minutes on the clock of the new one’s opening track ‘Brain Scan’, you can’t help but feel that this is going to be an absolute blinder – and it does not disappoint, for in that two minutes you hear Hawkwind, Gong & the Ozrics all rolled into one magnificent package. The track itself then begins to climb on waves of searing electric guitar, rolling drums, Blake-like space synths, rumbling bass, Gilli-style space whisper and Hawkwind-like crescendos – Just fantastic!!! For this album, Michael Blackman has been augmented by the space–whisper vocals of Renee Blackman, guest appearance from Starfield/Hawkwind synth musician Keith Kniveton, plus Steve Eyre on multi-moog synth. Yeh, but it’s the main man who takes the honours with some incendiary guitar work throughout and drum/bass work that sounds like a real rhythm section in action. Compositionally, it’s class and bite all the way, as you are taken to the stars on a journey of truly impressive proportions. Essentially all guitars, synths, bass and drums, it’s a largely instrumental ride and seriously impressive recording quality too. In the line of instrumental space/acid-rock inhabited by the likes of the Ozrics, Quimbys & Melting Euphoria, this album is right out at the front with the best of them, only, if anything, more direct and stronger, real driving space-rock as it should be heard. There is a crispness and sharpness to the production and the tracks sound composed rather than improvised – It’s Space-rock with purpose and direction, but above all, it has warmth, feeling, atmosphere and strength. The guitar and synths work is seriously impressive and there isn’t a track (or moment) on the album that is anything less than absolutely riveting - Impressive and then some!

753639
Weight: 150.00 g

Now, this is genius... no word of a lie! From one of the hottest new bands I’ve discovered in recent times comes their first full-length album, and it is simply brilliant from start to finish. The CD features 10 tracks and nearly fifty minutes of fantastic music from a stellar line-up of guitars, bass and drums. Three tracks feature female and male duet vocals, and the rest are instrumental, and these are some of the finest tracks around right now. Musically we’re talking big open canvases of epic proportions, as the gorgeous full-sounding guitars stretch from horizon to horizon, all quite languid yet amazingly powerful at the same time. It’s very much in the vein of classic Cocteau Twins only less edgy and more flowing. There is much more of a textural presence than most, deeper resonance and a superbly fluid, yet tight rhythm section. They sound almost like a guitar orchestra at times, with a full-to-overflowing sound that is just heavenly - Exactly as it says on the packet, but certainly no eyesore, for this is bliss incarnate. The vocal tracks have the voices largely buried in the mix, becoming just another instrumental texture, and it here that the Cocteau comparisons becoming even more apparent. There are also elements of early King Black Acid, hints of the vast Mellonova guitar canvas, but with extra spirit, strength, energy and dynamics, building tracks quickly into pieces where the guitars shine out from the background textures that cover the musical spaces so superbly. In the area that many commentators describe as “shoe-gazing” and as fashionable as similar things on current labels such as Kranky and Constellation, this is a tour-de-force of musical excellence. The penultimate track alone uses dynamics and layers to go from melodic bliss to a sonic cauldron of mighty proportions, as guitars, bass and drums go effortlessly into orbit and explode into space. Overall, one of the most played albums in my possession right now, and I strongly urge you to repeat the experience.

622390
Weight: 150.00 g

Like a stoner version of Blue Oyster Cult, particularly on the second track, where you find yourself singing ‘Cities On Flame With Rock & Roll’ alongside this track as it plays, albeit slightly slower. With plenty of wah-wah guitar, searing solos, half-submerged vocals, sturdy electric bass and hot solos, all with a great psychedelic stoned feel to it, this first rate album is a mix of Pink Fairies and Blue Oyster Cult.

685410
Weight: 150.00 g

Seventy-one minutes of psychedelic songs and instrumentals that really comes across as a cross between the best modern Spiritualized and celestial, brooding Porcupine Tree, but with more of shoe-gazing feel that’s overtly ambi-mainstream at the one end or prog-rock the other. What you hear are melancholy songs with a mysteriously dark feel, with an almost early Pink Floyd-like quality to them, in fact you could really imagine that band doing track 4 on this album down to a tee if you sit there and shut your eyes. Overall, it’s exotic, atmospheric, full of range and depth, with lots of slowly moving layers of guitars, bass, drums and electronics - A vast canopy of sound all set beneath strong yet delicate songs of a most languid nature, as soft vocals lead the way through the mysteries of their exotic musical universe.

740603
Weight: 150.00 g

If I told you that this is an album of unreleased recordings made by the band between 1998 and 2002, you might think it was that sort of album that uses stuff not good enough to have appeared on any of the official albums. But when I tell you that, across its 9 tracks of driving space-rock, it is without doubt, the finest thing the band have ever committed to CD, then you might just wake up and want to read on – and so you should, because this is way hotter than anything you could have possibly expected from what is a truly great American band. The whole album oozes passion and commitment in the song writing and delivery departments, with a quality production and sound to back-up the band’s enthusiasm. To all intents and purposes is a true follow-up album, because every space-rock song just storms out of the speakers at engulfs you in a huge sound where the guitars are well to the fore, with synths swirling in classic space-rock fashion all over the horizon, plus excellent vocals that are absolutely perfectly placed in the overall mix. A strong sense of dynamics and solid, structured songs completes a package that you simply won’t ever tire of listening to - It’s one of the finest albums you’re going to hear this year, and it is so addictive, you’ll struggle to remove it from your player for a few months, at least. Stronger than Geoff Capes, tighter than the Big Brother house, and when played loud, guaranteed to have your eyes ablaze and your soul on fire. From start to finish – they simply shouldn’t be this good, and ought to come with a government health warning that addiction to this music may be a distinct possibility – astounding!

901035
Weight: 150.00 g

Two ironies here – The first is that this is a brilliantly composed, structured, played and produced ‘live’ album that actually sounds better than most of the psych studio albums around right now, and there’s quite a few good ones around at the moment! The second is that if I tell you that it is the next best thing to 1970’s Hawkwind, then Martin, the main man behind Dr Hasbeen, should take it as a great complement – at least I hope he will, because that’s exactly what it’s meant to be. Yes, folks, it really is one of those defining moments in a reviewer’s life when you can genuinely and honestly say, without a shadow of a doubt and with 100% complete confidence, that, anyone into classic Hawkwind, simply must own a copy of this CD. It’s as simple as that, really. The original songs are fantastic examples of well sung, well played and well recorded tracks, with space synth swoops and driving rhythms flying everywhere, with electrifying guitars and, at last, Martin’s vocal sounding more natural than ever. With guest appearances from Spacehead’s Mr Dibs, ex-Spacehead musicians Paul Boars & Gavin Wilson, this is an album where the whole range of dynamics and musical quality are on show, and it has to be the best Dr Hasbeen album to date. Even the CDR pressing is as close to perfect as you’ll get. Definitely their best to date and an essential purchase for space-rock fans everywhere – why, there are even a couple of Hawkwind covers thrown in just for good measure. Superb!!!

921280
Weight: 150.00 g