OFF: PSEUDO SUN

[Andreas Stuewe]

Pseudo Sun´s new CD "Atomic Dogs Don´t Bark" is finally out! It´s their 2nd
album after "Future Memoirs" which was released in 1997.

Work on ADDB started in May 98 when the new band (Juba Nurmenniemi: bass,
vocals, keyboards, Erca Lindsvärd: drums and Mats Jassa Singh: guitar and
vocals) entered the studio. This line-up can also be heard on the cassette only
release "Aliens Only" (July 1998, M + E label). The original album which also
featured David Garcia-Lopes on violin was ready by summer 99. Sadly no label
took interest in releasing the album, so it got shelved. A year ago Mats Jassa
Singh left the band. PS tried to find a new guitarist but up to this day
they found none. Instead they found keyboardist Jens Lindstrand.

What we have here now is the new version of ADDB, and anyone who heard the first
version will agree that this new final version is by far better. In fact, there
are only 3 of 6 songs of the old version on the new one (Mutiny, Under water
Worl and Atmosfear). Juba added 2 more recent songs to the album
(Shapeshifter and If I only had time) which makes the album a lot more coherent
IMO. Mats Singh still plays guitar on these.

The album starts off with >Mutiny< (5:17), the classic heavy opening track of
PS´s first ever live gig in Jönköping in 1998. This version is the much cleaner
studio version featuring some marvellous mellotron, but still pretty heavy,
especially because of Juba´s Rickenbacker bass. The sound quality throughout the
album is faultless, absolutely professional.

On >If I only had time< (11:14) the new synth player Jens Linstrad can be heard.
He does play some great electric piano on this track. And Mats´ guitar playing
is amazing. The middle part is excellent when the band gets into some slower
rhythm and very spacey floydian synths (or HW´s synth sounds on Amazing sounds)
are being played. Some minutes later the band somehow get back to the song. This
construction of the song reminds me of the way HW do theirs. But then again, PS
is not another HW clone (we got enough of those methinks), they surely have a
unique style of their own.

>Under Water World< (4:18) is a great pop tune with some splooshy weird
synths/keyboards in the background which makes you feel like being a fish in an
aquarium. A great tune, but beware: This is a very persistence earworm!

The track is segued into >Shapeshifter< (8:06) and again this benefits from
Jens´ piano playing. This song has some slower verses and a faster chorus.
The synths are sounding very 70´s like which is great to my ears. Especially the
2nd instrumental part of the song is just unbelievably great pure spacerock; my
high point of the album!

The final song is >Atmosfear< (14:16) which also was the last song in Jönköping
98. Again, some additional mellotron makes this track even better. The drumming
is especially good on this song. A great one.

Well, what can I say? It´s just one great progressive space rock album, with all
the ingredients a space rock fan needs. I know that some people say that Juba
should quit singing because he just cannot sing. But the same can be said of
Ali Davey. Still we got used to it, don´t we? At least what we have here are
some real clever songs and some real inventive and imaginative music in perfect
sound quality. Ok, I have to admit I´m a PS fan and I´m trying to push this
album a bit, not only because I am involved with it in some way. But this band
really has some great potential, which this album proves. I really like ADDB a
lot, and it grows with each listen. And I listen to it frequently.

You can get this CD (so far) only through Pseudo Sun´s website:
http://warp9.to/pseudosun

Prices are: UK£ 7 / 10 Euro / US$ 10 including p & p.

By the way, Pseudo Sun is still in search of a new guitarist!

Andreas