5.06.2008

Something interesting happened in the U.K. as a result of the influence of Pink Floyd's spacey rock flirtations and the surrounding scene that benefited from, influenced and diverged from that particular time and place in British rock. One of the excellent divergences came in the form of a burgeoning space rock genre. Utilizing the electronic influence of bands like Floyd and the Moody Blues and fusing these with harder rock elements and some lumbering bits of folk into a sound as progressive as it was enticing.

Twink - Think Pink
Few travelers of the psychedelic era have careers as storied and unheralded as John "Twink" Alder. Having been a member of Tomorrow, The Pretty Things, The Pink Faeries and the Deviants; he's more than earned a pedigree in the
genre. This collection of his solo work comes on the heels of his collaboration with Steve Peregrin Took, who later became the second half of Tyrannosaurus Rex with Marc Bolan, and though there remains a bit of Took's airy hippiness in the lighter moments of Think Pink, Twink combines it with a darker lyricism reminiscent of Syd Barett and a much darker bubbling spaciness that becomes a touchstone for bands that would become full borne space rock luminaries. Though Twink was a drummer for most of his careers in other bands, this album really brings to light his craft in songwriting, and his ingenuity with atmosphere. This is an essential collection for anyone interested in the psychedelic era, an quite honestly rock music in general.

Download:
[MP3] Twink - Ten Thousand Words in a Cardboard Box
[MP3] Twink - Tiptoe on the Highest Hill

Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Hawkwind - Hawkwind
Probably no band did more to push the barriers of space rock than Hawkwind. Their debut opens with the breezy strains of "Hurry on Sundown" before quickly seeping into the dark void of "The Reason Is?". Their first album was only a
taste of what was to come but as with much of the Moody Blues material it has an uncanny knack for fusing far flung experimental wanderings and philosophical ambiguity with a good amount of solid songcraft and a knowledge of melody. Unlike the Moodies though, Hawkwind weren't averse to long bouts of dark savage instrumental jamming and their chops give this album its distinctive edge. Much as the second incarnation of Pink Floyd would take them to similar territory, Hawkwind used the newly expanding realm of free rock, technological advancements and a bit of sheer pretension to forge into wider musical avenues. The band would delve much deeper and go much darker but still it seems like they certainly knew what they were doing when they embarked on their journey.

Download:
[MP3] Hawkwind - Hurry On Sundown
[MP3] Hawkwind - Mirror of Illusion

Support the artist. Buy it HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:33:00 AM

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

nice little deviation. Certainly this stuff had an influence on shoegaze, and also Radiohead and their fleet of imitators.

Hawkwind are an absolutely fantastic band. Later on in their career they got really heavy and really stonery. Blissful.

Next week, can we have a bit of straight-up, old-fashioned, home-grown garage? We haven't had any in a few weeks

7:55 PM  

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