They may not be on your radar yet, but lovers of proper old school prog will want to check out the latest from this Massachusetts mob.
Picking up where their debut outing Attack Of The Martians left off, this set of wacky instrumentals deploys lesser-heard kit such as electric violin and electric mandolin alongside drums, unusually prominent bass and a battery of vintage synths to evoke the aura of the 70s as effectively as anyone out there. Aside from obvious nods to Emerson Lake & Palmer and King Crimson, fans of early Rush and Hawkwind may get off on some of the heavier moments. Even admirers of Ozric Tentacles and all those Hawkwind support bands no one can really remember may be tickled by the general quirkiness on display. Ditto collectors of weird and wonderful sci-fi movie soundtracks, who will adore the artwork too. From the relatively snappy Stellar Attraction and Marilyn Monrobot to the epic multi-part title track, it noodles and meanders its way like a rainbow-coloured spaceship with a busted flight computer. It does blur into a homogenous mass when listened to in a single sitting, but nothing that can’t be sorted by a special cigarette.
