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Spaceheads - Angel Station |
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ALBUM REVIEWSPick of the Chick: Our Favorite Releases, 1999-Present |
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Although the indie press has praised American post-rockers for their instrumental noodling, England's Spaceheads are the ones who are truly raising the bar for instrumental music. Spaceheads challenge the post-rock notion that innovative instrumentals must be subdued. This duo serves up a trippy, beat-heavy alternative to the often dull offerings of the post-rockers. And Spaceheads do it using two key instruments--drums and trumpet. Angel Station is the Spaceheads third studio album. On tracks like "Trance Figure 8" and "Angel Station," drummer Richard Harrison hammers out tight, fat beats while Andy Diagram creates walls of sound using trumpets dripping with effects. Diagram then tops off the mix with blistering trumpet solos. Angel Station isn't all driving beats and pulsating brass. Spaceheads give the listeners a chance to catch their breath with mellower cuts interspersed among the body-rocking grooves. On "Road Sweeper," real frogs creak over an undulating synth loop. A trumpet then creeps into the mix to provide some melodic color. "Magic In The Space Age" provides another dreamy soundscape with synth and echoed trumpet, backed by percussive tinkering. This track and "Heads In Orbit" have a Krautrock vibe reminiscent of Faust and Can. Spaceheads aren't the first musicians to use the trumpet as a centerpiece for experimental rock--Mark Isham, for example, has taken an experimental approach to the trumpet since the early '80s. (For a taste of Isham's work, check out his performance on David Torn's excellent Cloud About Mercury.) What makes Spaceheads approach so unique is the way they've manipulated the trumpet's sound with electronic effects. They've stretched the range of the trumpet, creating all new avenues for the instrument. Angel Station is a sonic trip that's well worth taking for those who enjoy instrumental music. American post-rockers beware. You've got competition from across the pond. PIGEONHOLE: Trippy
instrumental grooves, featuring drum and trumpet.
Andrew Helminger |
SPACEHEADS
