HW: some, OFF: much

[Jon Jarrett]

On Sun, 9 Feb 2003, Henderson Keith wrote:

        <much on food snipped>

> So, with the end of Burg Herzberg and the end of Strange Days US,
> I wonder about the future of "Space Rock, the Next Generation."
> Is it headed for another long hiatus?  I'm really starting to feel
> like maybe the peak of its return happened in ~1999 and that
> ironically since 2001 we've seen the bubble burst a little bit.
> Maybe not to the same degree as NASDAQ, but...

        I as ever stand to the pessimistic side on such matters so must
stick my oar in...

> US space rock has suffered many losses in recent years, including
> Farflung & P-hed (to their electronic alter-ego), and a host of
> retirements (Sky Cries Mary, Quarkspace and ArcMet to retirement,
> and Das Ludicroix and Born to Go to health, and Alien Planetscapes
> has suffered too though Doug continues).  I don't know what the 2
> Steve's have done, if they did indeed emigrate to the UK last fall
> (as all indications were), their activity there has been greatly
> hidden and Star Nation (with a great full album in hand) seem to
> do nothing to support it.  Maybe they will arise at Summerfest
> (if itself arises!).

        Well, Stephan Forstner has since posted that there *is* to be more
Farflung activity yet, which is desperately good news to me, but I guess
it will be a while before we get it, and I'm having great trouble getting
hold of _When Science Fails_ meanwhile (are you listening Andy G.?). Das
Ludicroix were unlikely to return to activity for various personal and
organisational reasons even before Larry died but now of course there's no
chance. Well. The name was officially bequeathed to Carl Anderson at their
last ever gig, but I think Carl like myself feels that is was Larry's
project, and it's ironic but true that DL, a band which was constructed
afresh every time it played, still won't ever be the same without its core
of Larry and Ian Souther, the lead guitarist. If another Das Ludicroix
should ever play it will be no more than a tribute.

        I personally won't miss Quarkspace or Architectural Metaphor,
mind, a very odd definition of space-rock or indeed quality to my
ears. But I recognise this to be an unusual view. Seems very hard to tell
what Alien Planetscapes are up to either, but I hope they remain active
because, well, somebody's got to.

        There's always ST37 of course. But Texas is a long way to go to
get your space-rock. What's Marc Power up to these days, anyone know?

        The one active figure in US spacerock at the moment, well, is
being active in fields other than space-rock, by which I mean Mike Burro
of Sloterdijk, who seems all taken up with One-Eyed Bishops stuff at the
moment. Thing is even if this weren't so one band, particularly a one-man
band, can't save a scene over the whole US.

> One positive note is that groups in Texas seem to be producing
> output in similar quantities as they did in the '90s, even though
> I don't think any of them can really afford to play out live
> outside their home state where much of their fan base likely is
> (or *would* be, if they could!).

        Yup. ST37 as I say, and as you probably meant, but I always find
them worth emphasising anyway.

> I've just recently gotten some of the new Hungarian albums, and
> I have to say they're not as good as the ones from just a few
> years ago.  I think they're following the same trail as the
> early 90s UK free-festy psych bands blazed....i.e., going more
> from rock towards electronica.  Korai Orom in the middle of
> their current career, i.e., 1997, hit the proper balance of the
> 2 IMHO with a fantastic album.  But the 2001 disc didn't do the
> same for me...it wasn't really more electronic, just less
> interesting.  Colorstar is more trancey now, and I didn't like
> it as much.  The second Nine Invisibles didn't really improve
> from the first either (back to the UK now), and is hardly what
> Ship of Fools was.

        The second Nine Invisibles album is a fine dance album, leaves
several of Orbital's ones to stand in the corner, but no, space-rock it
isn't. I'm not convinced Ship of Fools were either, mind, unless
their bass-player woke up a lot live. If they ever gigged. Don't know any
of the Hungarian stuff I confess. Where would one ideally start with
fixing that?

> Also, too, Nordic space-rock continues, but I don't know that
> it goes with the same gusto as the mid- to late-90s.  Darxtar
> released the interesting Tombola album, which was far different
> from anything they'd done (or anybody else really) in the past.
> But they hardly seem to be alive, let alone active on the circuit.
> Pseudo Sun finally got their album out and it's a good one, but
> can they afford to do much live?

        From what very little I know both bands are skint. It would be
unkind, but not that far from the facts I think, to say that DarXtar
particularly are too far gone into inactivity to organise their own
gigs. I speculate that the failure of the Kobenhavn space-rock festival
to happen has probably killed Soren's will to be doing much about that off
again, as may anything less than fabulous sales of _Tombola_ which
considering its almost zero publicity I doubt it's had. Fantastic album
mind, and quite uncategorisable, but there's certainly space-rock on it,
and dramatic stuff too. Dark Sun seem to be mired in perpetual
forthcomingness too, and 5:15, well, they're not the same kettle of fish
at all are they despite Nik's involvement and playing as a Space Ritual in
the US.

> In the UK, Quimby and Litmus are active, but seem to rely quite
> a lot on opportunities presented by the likes of established names
> (Ozrics and Hawkwind) for live dates.  Not meaning to demean them,
> as I think they're both entirely capable on their own of carrying
> their own shows...just stating a(n unfortunate) fact.

        Not too sure what the Ozrics are doing, even. They seem
persistently active but their plans keep changing at short notice, which
the last time was promoter's fault but this time, if it's correct that
they're not appearing at Nottingham (and dammit I'm trying to organise
going to that I wish someone would make up their minds), I don't
know. Whether you consider them anything other than a retread act is
another matter; I think they never quite get that far gone myself and
they're always fantastic live, but. What Hawkwind are doing, well, there
is some of it, but it's not aimed at getting CDs into shops at this time
it seems, but suitably friendly guests into private gigs. Neither band is
going to keep this flame burning except in their own names and their own
followings. People won't be going "wow, space-rock is fantastic, what
other bands are there?" from seeing them IMO.

        MQB seem to keep touring at least, but no big dates; they also
seem to get albums out though nothing for a while now. Litmus, well, I
have little impression of them bar the one performance I've seen and their
website, but aggressive self-promoters they ain't. Apart from anything
else I've been trying to get hold of their demos and never had an
answer. I probably can't be organised enough to get them a gig in Cambrdge
anyway but they don't know that. New Krel album is, from Andy G.'s
publicity for it, going to change the shape of the world, but I'll
see; new Starfield album would also be good. Some hint of what Star Nation
are doing... Their website seems to have gone. It all seems to be still
bar the two big names occasionally gigging at the momment, If there is, as
is quite possible, fiendishly busy activity behind the scenes, it's not
coming forward.

        I'll modify that: Bedouin, too, are gigging like bastards. But new
material was thin on the ground last I saw of them (one new song, one
rearranged old one).

> OK, 'nuff that.  Too depressing to think about any more.

        I don't think this is anything new. Carl Anderson was saying
shortly after Strange Daze '99 that all the promising bands were being
killed off by disorganisation and ill-will. The reason Born To Go didn't
gig for the last year or two of their notional existence was that in that
time Marc Power was unable to organise a practice which all the band
members attended. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age says, in one
interview, that one of the reasons he loves his current band and lifestyle
is that he can call up any of the people he works with, more or less, and
say, "come and jam" any time of day and they'll drop what they're doing
and do so because they're that far into it. Now most of the space-rock
generation have got jobs and so on, but even so, that level of commitment
is missing. It's endemic through the scene: the poeple who could make a
difference, be it in making music, playing it, or just promoting it,
booking gigs, the support network, we've all (and I count myself among
this for what I think--as no doubt does everyone else--are regrettable but
convincing reasons (Ph.D., family)) got better things or at least too much
else to do and the music isn't important enough to win.

        How you solve that I don't know. Currently society seems
unfriendly to our sort of endeavour. Should make it more urgent to try of
course. Oh well. Yours,
                        Jon

ObCD: Mogwai - _Come On Die Young_ (I advise you all to buy Godspeed You
Black Emperor! instead, as it does the same thing better)
--
"I recognise that I have transgressed many of the precepts of the divine
law, and that I am subjected by various vices and iniquities, disobedient
to the words of the divine mystery brought unto me and a worshipper of the
delights of this military age." Marquis Borrell of Barcelona, 955 A.D.

             (Jonathan Jarrett, Birkbeck College London)