Programmic music is often hard for, whether it’s some Romantic composer trying to conjure up a storm or a picnic, or someone trying to show me what a drug trip is like, I often find the concept unnecessary to my enjoyment of the music.
And I find the idea that this record is a drug trip to be unhelpful. Maybe I’ve only used the wrong drugs,but I just don’t see it…pardon me, I just don’t hear it.
The music is, in most cases, what I was excepting: text book late ’80s spacey neo-psychedelia with maybe a bit more variety than I was expecting.
Having come to this band through Spiritualized, I cannot help but hear echoes of that later band on a number of these tracks, and even more so than I heard on Spacemen’s final record. And, I gotta say, that doesn’t really heighten my appreciation of Spiritualized. I get that artists have their thing and all, but some of this basically just sounds like a rough, garagey run through of ideas later developed.
But, on the whole, it’s fine listening (if a little too easy to put in the background) and it feels as though these guys have a better grasp on what they are trying to convey than a lot of the spacey neo-psych bands of the era (I’m looking at you ’80s Flaming Lips), even if I don’t buy the high concept.
7/10
All tracks written by Pierce, Sonic Boom, except where noted.
- “Take Me to the Other Side” 4:40
- “Walkin’ with Jesus” 5:03
- “Ode to Street Hassle” 3:54
- “Ecstasy Symphony” 1:54
- “Transparent Radiation (Flashback)” (Barthelme, Cunningham, Thompson) 9:03
- “Feel So Good” 5:24
- “Things’ll Never Be the Same” 5:58
- “Come Down Easy” 6:42
- “Call the Doctor” 3:45
- Sonic Boom – guitar, vocals, tremolo, organ
- Jason – guitar, vocals, organ, Farfisa organ
- Bassman – bass
- Rosco – drums, percussion
Additional Personnel
- Alex Green – saxophone
- Mick Manning – trumpet
- Owen John – violin