http://virb.com/moochspacey 3001 on CD. Later came the cassette-only Planetfall, which continued the science-fictional music of the band. The very first Taste release was the CD Postvorta, recorded directly after 3001, which saw a more ethnic sound, though still recognisably Mooch, and which included the classic tracks Winged Beings, and the always-performed live favourite Extended Life with its rushes of bass and clattering percussion. Postvorta acquired a number of fans for the band, including Radio 1 (now Radio2) DJ Mark Radcliffe. After recording a few more tape albums the third official CD release was recorded: Starhenge. This album was greatly inspired by the collection of ethnic musical instruments now lodged on nails and hooks around the walls of Steve's music room. Starhenge was a more ambient affair than the earlier albums, and had a disastrous beginning when the manufacturers left off almost all of the final track (later replaced). Starhenge saw the congealing of the mark III line-up. Mooch always prefered a shifting, sliding, gliding membership, but here brothers Cal and Garry Lewin working with Steve produced an amalgam of psychedelic, free-ethnic, spacey-groovy music, but with guitars. Steve later began working with Pete Wyer, an old friend from university days, and Pete contributed a strong electric guitar to the increasingly sequenced compositions. By now Steve was working in the media department of the University of Luton, where he discovered the joys of working with Mac computers. In this year too came the final group composition of the third line-up, the fifty-seven minute Flight of the Dub Voyager. This piece was culled from an amazing two-hour multi-instrumented recording session. With Steve now working for Andy Garibaldi's new Dead Earnest record label, the fourth CD In Search of the Acid Metal Grille was produced. It was released in 1999. This recording of spacey techno rock grooves was enthusiastically received by space cadets everywhere. In collaboration with the Future Sound of Exeter, Steve and various friends put on a series of gigs to help promote the Mooch sound, usually in Exeter, but occasionally at festivals. The first year of the new millenium saw Mooch doing only a little recording, as Steve concentrated on the Blue Lily Commission solo project (eastern influenced beats with guitars, flutes and percussion). A new studio set-up gave Mooch a fuller sound. The sound quality was further improved by a new mastering set-up. During this period Steve worked alot with Don Falcone and Karen Anderson, who live near San Francisco; Don and Karen own Noh Poetry records. The space-rock/electronic Gaiaspace was released on 24 April 2006, and the album was enthusiastically received. And in 2007 everybody went wild for Dr Silbury's Liquid Brainstem Band, while through 2007 and 2008 a number of back catalogue classics were rereleased by AmbientLive Records. Catalogue: Postvorta (1993) Taste Records 3001 (1994) Taste Records Starhenge (1995) Taste Records In Search Of The Acid Metal Grille (1999) Dead Earnest Records Flight Of The Dub Voyager (2005) self released Gaiaspace (2006) Dead Earnest Records Dr Silburys Liquid Brainstem Band (2007) AmbientLive Records Postvorta/Starhenge Remastered Set 1 (2007) AmbientLive Records The Crypt Of Artificial Intelligences/Golden Ear Machine Remastered Set 2 (2007) AmbientLive Records 1967½ (2008) Ambient Live Records In Search Of The Acid Metal Grille/The Acid Metal Grille Sessions Remastered Set 3 (2008) AmbientLive Records "1966" (2008) Ambient Live Records 3001/Planetfall Remastered Set 4 (2008) AmbientLive Records You can join the Mooch newsgroup at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/mooch/ 2009: Shroomshire (Steve solo) 1968a (Mooch) Remastered set volume 5 (Mooch) Bharatadubs (Blue Lily Commission - ethnic dub) The Pagan Year (Mooch - lots of special guests) I Dream Of Urs Amman (Steve solo - 6 album set!) Remastered set volume 6 (Mooch) Later: Bottom Of The Barrel Remastered Set 7 Flight Of The Dub Voyager (with 4m33s remix disk) ]]> Virb 2.0 (@moochspacey) en http://virb.com/moochspacey/posts/status/6921442 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:41:09 -0800 http://virb.com/moochspacey/posts/status/6921442 http://virb.com/moochspacey/posts/text/4989984 REVIEWS Since the early 1990s, Mooch have released several fine albums of space-ambient-ethnic-rock. Headed up by musician, artist and sci-fi novelist Stephen Palmer (also of Blue Lily Commission), Dr. Silbury's Liquid Brainstem Band takes the Mooch concept into very new territory. The focus on this ambitious 2-CD set is numerous collaborations revolving around the Dr Silbury theme. I'll quote from the storyline from the Ambientlive web site: In 2007 Dr Silbury invented the quantum jukebox, a device that allowed him to locate, listen to and even work with alternate versions of his own band. The quantum jukebox was sensitive to "alternate worlds" - worlds made famous by the quantum theory of Bohr, Heisenberg, Pauli, Feynman and many other great physicists. By a process of quantum collapsing, the jukebox allowed Dr Silbury to contact many interesting alternatives of his band. Some of these versions were similar to the band he knew, but others were from far-out alternate worlds. It is likely that further information will be gleaned about the good doctor and his extraordinary jukebox. Eventually, it is hoped, the music of these many variants of his band will come to light, perhaps on some kind of crazy double CD… So we've got 2-CDs covering a variety of music and participants. "Eight Spokes" opens the first CD with a bouncy keyboard melody, space electronics and ripping psych guitar leads. There's also some spacey, more standard sounding, Mooch segments, that transition between the melodic sections, resulting in a very nice 9+ minute introductory track. "Cwmyoy Dub" does have Dub beats but there's much more than that going on. Soaring liquid psych guitar combines with meandering alien electronics and a Dubby rhythmic pulse to create an atmospheric and acidic spaced out psychedelic track that is simultaneously eerie and trippy. There are intermittent vocal bits from John Toon. And I especially dig the section where the acoustic guitar joins in and things get briefly complex and freaky. Excellent track. The 16 minute epic "Jupiter Event" is described on the Dr Silbury web site as a 16-minute Floyd-style epic about Jupiter & Europa, and it is precisely that. I had this album playing in my car for weeks and I would play this song alone over and over and will now officially declare it my numero uno favorite song of 2007. Yes, it's very EARLY Floyd styled, but it's just got a great all around old time late 60s/early 70s spacey psychedelic prog feel to it. And in true progressive fashion it masterfully transitions through multiple themes, from seductively dreamy to heavy psych rocking. Lots of beautiful guitar and keyboard contributions. Then around the 9 minute mark the music fades and we find ourselves alone… with waves crashing against the shore and unseen creatures howling from the shadows. But there's also the sounds of the spacecraft and human transmissions. This goes on for a few minutes until guitar and drums pick up again and then launch back into the main song. Wow, what a fantastic song. At the time I wrote this review "Jupiter Event" was available at the Mooch Myspace site so check it out (link below). The atmospheric "Saz Interval" is next, a very short saz (Turkish 7-stringed lute) and electronics piece that's serves to help us refocus after the lengthy "Jupiter Event" and lead into "Anderson Council", which has a dancey La-La-La whimsical vibe. "The Falcon" is an ambient-melodic chill-out tune with Don Falcone on keyboards and occasional vocals by Karen Anderson. Anyone who ever got to hear the Falcone-Palmer collaboration album "Gothic Ships" will appreciate this track. "Silver Violet Flame" closes the first CD and is another highlight track with vocals by ex-Hawkwind singer Bridget Wishart. Musically this is close to the trademark Mooch sound, though it's made into an actual song that's more than fitting for vocals. Deeeeeeep space drift. Very nice. The second CD begins with two more songs with vocals by Bridget. "Sandman" and "Cycad" are both spacey chill-out tunes, with "Sandman" nicely enhanced by the vocals and dreamy sax solo, and "Cycad" has beautiful psyched out guitar bits that I liked. The 13 minute "Damien's Drums" is another one of my favorites on the album. This is a true space-prog epic that transitions through multiple themes. We've got a killer blend of symphonic keyboards, space electronics and psych guitar soloing, excursions over alien landscapes, high octane space rock, and a stunning contribution from Cyndee Lee Rule's viper violin. And John Weber provides the narration that precedes each thematic shift. "Outback Event" is a meditative floating space electronic piece embellished by didgeridoo from Paul Didge. "Piano Interval" is exactly what the title says… a 2+ minute solo piano piece that more or less serves as an intermission between the first and second half of the CD. "Houri" is described as an "oddity of noise and samples beats" and that pretty much nails what it is. Soundscapes, sound-art, and miscellaneous rhythmic patterns all blended and morphed in a variety of ways, plus spoken poetry by Bridget. "The Gulhane Gardens" is a space-ambient track, augmented by keyboards, horns and guitar. Parts of it have an ethnic feel that gives the music a feel much like some of Steve Palmer's Blue Lily Commission music. The music develops steadily yet subtly throughout its 11 minute length and really swept me away to cosmic dreamland. Gorgeous! The last three tracks comprise the parts of "The Alien Trilogy". "Alien's Song" is a bouncy whimsical song with a catchy melody. "Eat, Eat, Eat" is a soundscape and percussion piece that has an image inducing soundtrack feel to it. And "The Sound of Emptiness" is similar but without the percussion. In summary, this is a wonderful album that will appeal to Space Rock and surely lots of Prog fans. Some people might think there's too much variety on the album but if you take the time to get into the story and read the album notes you'll find that it really all works very well. Be sure and visit the Ambientlive site (link below) because they've done a stellar job with all the information they provide - storyline, detailed credits and track notes, artwork, reviews and Mooch history. And the CDs are housed in a DVD case, which helps enhance the psychedelic artwork by Dale Jarrold. ALSO NOTE that Ambientlive has just released a 2-CD set that reissues "Postvorta" and "Starhenge", two of the long out of print Mooch albums released on the Taste label in the 1990s. Jerry Kranitz / Aural Innovations This is probably the most Space Rock orientated album we have ever reviewed within the pages of SMD. Must admit that this isn't a particular area of expertise for me but I will give it a go anyway as I did enjoy much of the album. It is quite a while (OK, probably twenty years!) since I seriously listened to this sort of stuff and it reminded me a little of Gong, and even maybe of Hawkwind but going off in all sorts of other directions as well. The opener 'Eight Spokes' is probably my favourite track on the album, echoing chimes giving way to a steady groove and the sort of psychedelic lead line that pretty much sums up the almost hallucinogenic feel to much of the album. A rip-roaring electric guitar soars over the top injecting loads of excitement. Echoing tripped out vocals, kick ass rhythm and cosmic guitar riffs swirl around on 'Cwmyoy Dub' then further dreamy echoing chimes mix with playful guitar on 'Jupiter Event' which features a vocal that reminded me of David Bowie! Not really my sort of thing I'm afraid. Things get a little more to my liking as quite heavy guitar and high register synth take turns at lead duties- real crazed acid tinged stuff! We then go through manic screaming and echoing effects before returning to a vocal lead similar to earlier in the track. 'Saz Interval' is a short abstract track full of electronic effects, gongs and cosmic shimmers. Back to a more conventional psychedelic rock track for 'Anderson Council'. This time I quite liked the vocal colouring as it brought up a good fun feel. Things then change abruptly with more crazed electronics, like some bad trip, before returning to a conventionalish drums / guitar finish. 'The Falcon' returns us to dreamy realms. A silken sequence strikes up for 'Silver Violet Flame'. A laidback lead line joins it then a second bass sequence falls into formation. Loved the mystical vocals. The opening two tracks from the Second Disc 'Sandman' and 'Cycad' are (especially in the vocal department) so far away from what I would usually listen to that it isn't really fair for me to comment on, though instrumentally at least the second of these did have some very appealing guitar work. A collage of excellent cosmic electronic effects get 'Damien's Drums' underway but then we get a hilarious (oh I do hope it was not intended to be taken seriously!) narrative about pixies getting Damien to try something different with his drums! It then gets all rather crazed, in just the way I like it. 'Outback Event' mixes lovely sequences with tinkling guitar and didgeridoo. It's all rather shimmering and relaxed. 'Piano Interval' tells you all you really need to know in the title. 'Houri' uses a deep metallic drone as backing for an infectious groove which comes to an abrupt halt, to be replaced by tinkling electronics then trippy spoken vocals only for things to become more upbeat to finish. The Gulhane Gardens' is another highlight of the album with some excellent sequences mixed with lovely little melodic motifs and scything electronic effects as well as some very effective flute. The electric guitar and bass playing are pretty damned fine as well! It's certainly moody and mystical but also carries quite a punch- loved it. The three-part 'The Aliens Trilogy' brings the album to a close. Starting with the very melodic and rather whimsical 'Aliens' Song' my first impressions were very positive. This could hardly be called a demanding listen but all very pleasant in the sort of way that leaves a contented smile on the face. A heavy beat and clanging metallic percussion propel the curiously titled 'Eat, Eat, Eat' into life. Vocoded vocals increase a feeling of unease. 'The Sound of Emptiness' rounds things off taking us to a tropical jungle with the chirpings of insects and strange birds. Things get increasingly ethereal and peaceful. I would say that I liked about two thirds of this album, those who are fans of Space Rock would probably like more of it but whatever, a double album at this price is surely worth a go. David Law / Synth Music Direct Last year, sometime, I said about the last Mooch album, "Gaiaspace", that it was, ahem, "spacerock of the highest order...a trip down Ozric Tentacles Boulevard...off to the 24 hour Astralasia shop for some vibes, smelling of pure Mooch." So, the thought of a double Mooch CD filled me with, if not quite joy, something that wasn't my usual despondancy. Apparently, and this is from the interweb, so it may not be true, "in 2007 Dr Silbury invented the quantum jukebox, a device that allowed him to locate, listen to and even work with alternate versions of his own band. The quantum jukebox was sensitive to "alternate worlds" - worlds made famous by the quantum theory of Bohr, Heisenberg, Pauli, Feynman and many other great physicists. By a process of quantum collapsing, the jukebox allowed Dr Silbury to contact many interesting alternatives of his band. Some of these versions were similar to the band he knew, but others were from far-out alternate worlds. It is likely that further information will be gleaned about the good doctor and his extraordinary jukebox. Eventually, it is hoped, the music of these many variants of his band will come to light, perhaps on some kind of crazy double CD" Yup, right. I think that means that Mr Mooch has got some other people to appear on this CD. It also has vocals on some tracks and the dreaded didgeridoo makes an appearance as well. But, apart from that, this is blindingly good stuff. It's actually quite difficult to know where to begin, when it comes to extolling the best bits, but have a go at 'Jupiter Event', all 16 minutes of Pink Floyd meets Caravan or 'The Aliens' Trilogy', if you want a lengthy taster of how good this album is. Ex Hawkwind vocalist Bridget Wishart is here, singing as well as playing clarinet and saxophone. Also on vocals is Chris Gill of Band Of Rain. Elsewhere you will find musicians Cyndee Lee Rule, Don Falcone, Jon Weber, Karen Anderson, Damien Redmond, Jez Creek, and Paul Dunmore. For sure, some pruning would have been nice round my way, as 'Sandman' and 'Damien's Drums' don't work for me, but pound for pound, this is as good as it gets spacerock progwise. It's certainly going to be one of the albums of the year. Stuart A Hamilton / Space-Rock.co.uk How can you not like a band that calls itself Mooch? It’s such an endearing title that when I heard of this band I knew right away that I had to hear them. And when I heard who all performed on this album, I knew I had to have a copy of it. I don’t normally go looking for albums to review because I get plenty of them, but in this case I just had to make an exception. I’m glad I did because this is a brilliant space rock epic with a lot of variety. Hopefully you’ll join me now, as I explore this release in greater detail. First off, who exactly is this Mooch character? Well, basically, Mooch is the project of synthesist, multi-instrumentalist Stephen Palmer, who started the band in 1992. Mooch has released several albums since then, many of them in the early days were cassette-only releases. Stephen is also a successful s cience fiction writer who has published seven full-length novels. He’s also a collector of exotic musical instruments, many of which can be heard on his recordings with Mooch. Dr. Silbury’s Liquid Brainstem Band is a quite grandiose double CD concept album with a very distinguished guest list. Each participating member has their own identity on the album. I’ll discuss these more when I examine the individual tracks. Palmer plays Dr. Silbury, a scientist who has developed “the quantum jukebox, a device that allowed him to locate, listen to and even work with alternate versions of his own band.” Each track represents a unique configuration of the band with different members and each one with a distinct style. The styles range from light world music/new age to heavy, distorted guitar-based space rock jamming. The jukebox contains a vast array of exceptional music, let’s check it out. CD One: “Eight Spokes” Things get started with a killer extended space rock jam! This one reminds me slightly of the band Melting Euphoria. Dr. Silbury plays all the synths and guitars on this one and appears on every track, usually in multiple roles. Great heavy drums are provided by Erich Z. Schlagzeug a.k.a. Mr. Sopht. The “Eight Spokes” is a reference to the eight festivals in the pagan year. This one is an excellent kickoff to the album, you can tell right from the start that we’re in for a colossal journey through space. “Cwmyoy Dub” As the name would imply, this is a cool dub track that sounds like it would have fit on one of Nik Turner’s albums in the 90s. This one features some wild dubbed vocal parts from John Toon who plays himself one this one. The name “Cwmyoy” comes from a psychedelic club in Wales. “Jupiter Event” Completely epic space rock piece, heavily influenced by Pink Floyd. The “Jupiter Event” is 16 minutes of pure bliss! There’s some great psychedelic organ during the first few minutes of the piece. Vocals are provided by Chris Gill from Band of Rain. His alias for this project is Star Lighter and he appears on several tracks throughout the album. Mr. Sopht covers the drums on this one too. After some nice keyboard solos, there’s a really strange section that sounds a bit similar the crazy parts in Pink’s “Echoes” which is, according to the liner notes, based on recordings made from Jupiter’s actual magnetic field. “Saz Interval” This one is a little easier to explain. A short pice with spacey synth backdrop to some eccentric saz playing with lots of reverb. The saz is one of Stephen’s exotic instruments, a Turkish seven-stringed lute. “Anderson Council” Interesting…I have a bootleg that’s on Anderson Council records. I guess most psychedelic rock fans could guess where the name for this one came from. Doesn’t really sound too much like Pink Floyd, though. Maybe I’d say it sounds like one of the earlier tunes or something a little heavier with some spacey keyboards thrown in. Contains another vocal appearance from Star Lighter, although there aren’t any words on this. One of the coolest, most memorable tracks on the disc. “The Falcon” Features a synth solo from Dr. Panacea, who may be better known by the name Don Falcone, a veteran space rock musician who has been in a ton of bands including Spirits Burning, Melting Euphoria, SpaceshipEyes, Fireclan, Thessalonians, etc. This is a mellow free-flowing track that also contains some really sweet vocal melodies from Aunty Clockwise, also known by her earth name of Karen Anderson. “Silver Violet Flame” The first disc ends with an amazing and beautiful track that has vocals from Cora Cornucopia. Some Hawkwind fans might remember her better as the uplifting female voice that graces several albums of the 80s including Space Bandits. I had thought Bridget Wishart left the music business years ago but it’s great to know that she’s back and her voice is just as stunning as it was when she was with Hawkwind. This is another one of my favorite tracks on the album. CD Two: “Sandman” The second disc kicks off with another track featuring Wishart. This is a mid-tempo rock track with some nice synth rhythms and it also contains some really nice sax playing from Bridget. I never even knew she could play. This is another great track but even at six minutes, it’s too short. “Cycad” There wasn’t enough Bridget Wishart on the first half of the album so they are making up for it on disc two. “Cycad” is another mellow rock track that has a Melting Euphoria vibe. “Damien’s Drums” This is the freakout section of the album. It starts out with some wild electronic noise and then a weird circus organ fades in from the distance and quickly fades away. Then a voice comes on and introduces “Damien”; the narration reminds me of Porcupine Tree's Voyage 34. The Damien in question is Sergeant Damien Aztec Doughnut, or Damien Redmond to us who are somehow still unaffected by the radiation emanating from the quantum jukebox. Damien brings the drums to this space jam. Around five minutes into it, the announcer comes back and says “Damien is told by the pixie to do something different.” This is the cue for Sorceress Sadie Of The Blasphemous Hells Of The Joyful to bring her viper electric violin to the party. Many of the readers here at Progressive Ears know Sorceress Sadie a little better by the name Cyndee Lee Rule. When I first heard this solo, I thought the start of it was actually a guitar but it’s some vicious distorted viper. Cyndee does a truly cool, triple-tracked violin spot that seems to end way too quickly. This is definitely one of the many highlights to the album. “Outback Event” After that monster heavy track, it’s time to cool off for a bit. This one is a mellower electronic piece and Dr. Silbury gets some electronic sequencing help from Sir Frank Lee “Quite” Mad. While he is somewhat mad, his Nord modular synth is registered under the name of Jez Creek. This is a really gorgeous mellow piece with some nice didgeridoo drones from Paul Didge, who’s last name here fits him much better than Dunmore. “Piano Interval” This one is a different the other tracks on the album. This is a short, almost classical piano piece by Alan Palmer. His use of his own name and the inclusion of this composition on the CD is a complete mystery. “Houri” This one has more of a dance rhythm but don’t let that scare you. It’s still a great track, with lots of spacey elements. This one harkens back to the better electronica stuff from the early 90s like Ultramarine, Future Sound Of London and The Orb. “The Gulhane Gardens” This one has a zither/bell loop as the backing track. Lots of really amazing synth parts are stacked on top. Also features some sort of ethnic flute-type instruments towards the end. This is a very nice world music piece with some spacey background and a cool guitar solo at the end. “Aliens' Song/Eat, Eat, Eat/Sound Of Emptiness” The last three tracks on the album make up “The Aliens' Trilogy.” The first part features some quirky synth pop stuff with vocoder lead by Dr. Silbury. Really interesting track that sounds like something Klaatu might have come up with. The second part has a much more industrial feel, almost emulating Kraftwerk to a degree. There is also some vocoder here but it isn’t quite as cheerful sounding. The last piece “Sound Of Emptiness” is a much more desolate and abstract ambient number. Quite a fitting way to end this amazing album. There you have it! Dr. Silbury’s Liquid Brainstem Band is an extremely diverse space rock album with loads of amazing tracks. If you like stuff like Hawkwind, Ozric Tentacles, Gong, Quarkspace, Melting Euphoria, Hidria Spacefolk, etc. and don’t mind a healthy dose of variety then this is an album you should definitely check out. Before I go, I also need to mention the cool artwork of Dale Jarrold that graces the cover of this album. Very cosmic and bizarre stuff! I’m really honored to have had the opportunity to review this album. I’m sure this will make it onto my favorites list for 2007. I’ve only had it for a few days so far and have listened to it at least 10 times already. Each time it gets a little better, too. Kudos to all those involved with this outstanding release. A few weeks ago I had no idea who Mooch was and now I can say without hesitation that I will not forget the name! Progressive ears Is it the magic in the air? Is it the magic in the earth? No it is Mooch and his crew sailing on psychedelic waters! Amazing music, this album is for me the number one of this year. A very nice mix of instruments, vocals and electronics. Some nice Viper work by Cyndee Lee Rule and vocals by Bridget Wishart. It is like Hawkwind meets Syd Barrett meets Ozric Tentacles. It is a marriage between Gong and Tangerine Dream. This album is a beautiful psychedelic dream. Phrozenlight (July 2007) With bubbling synths, echo-drenched guitar and a dubby heart “Dr Silbury’s Liquid Brainstem Band”, The latest album from Mooch, is a fun packed walk around the free festi of your choice. Having been about since 1992, the band know precisely what is required moving from blissed out ambience to full on craziness over two discs of stoned happiness that grins happily before finding a place to lie in the sun. Mushrooms are optional but nodding your head with glee seems inevitable sooner or later, lovely. Simon Lewis / 'Rumbles' June 2007 Piloted by an Englishman called Stephen Palmer, Mooch has now released their best album that I have heard yet. Before this the music of Mooch has mainly been electronic, instrumental ambient, although guitar and ethnic i nstruments have been in use. On this new double album Palmer has collaborated with many different musicians, and the whole seems more like a real band album. Sure there still are some spacey synthesizer atmospheres that were typical for the last couple of Mooch albums. The first album begins with the instrumental ”Eight Spokes” where Stephen plays all the instruments apart from the drums. This is a good, rather electronic sounding track. I do prefer the next, hypnotic and psychedelic piece ”Cwmyoy Dub” that also has some narration by John Toon. This one has dub bass, real drums, space sounds, spacey lead guitar and excellent keyboard stuff and works very well! One of the best tracks on the album. The longest track on the album is “Jupiter” that begins in a peaceful way and is excellent, Air-styled suff with great vocals, but at some point they go faster towards the Steve Hillage spheres. In the middle there is a tranquil ambient part that uses Jupiter’s electromagnetic field !! There are some superb guitar and synthesizer solos in there. “Saz Interval” is a weird, spacey ambient piece. “Anderson Council” is at first rather energetic psych rock with guitar, bass, keyboards, wordless vocals and proper drums. There’s also some Mellotron later on. Before three minutes the track disintegrates into hazy psych terrain, but in the end it returns to the early theme. The peaceful, soft and synthesizer-driven “The Falcon” also includes pleasant female voice (Karen Anderson). There’s also guitar towards the end. One of the best moments on the album is “Silver Violet Flame” that starts with sequencers. Ex-Hawkwind Bridget Wishart still has an exquisite, soft voice that fits into the track perfectly. In fact Bridget sounds exactly the same she did almost 20 years ago. She also plays clarinet on this song. This amazing, hypnotic and rather melancholic track has a great atmosphere and it makes you float in some strange, spiritual space. There’s also some airy guitar and small-scale rhythm in there. Excellent! The second disc starts off with the trip hop rhythms of ”Sandman” that features several quests. Bridget is again singing and also plays the saxophone. The chorus is very nice and declamatory. Bridget also sings in “Cycad” that has dark synthesizer and an exciting rhythm. The chorus is relaxed and has some Mellotron, as well. A pretty good number that has a bit jazzy feel and a psychedelic guitar solo. Maybe the most psychedelic freak-out on the album is the almost 13-minute-long “Damien’s Drums” where Palmer might have tried to create a bit similar charge that was captured on Voyage 34 by Porcupine Tree. The track has some ambient sections that are coloured by really trippy narration and then instrumental, mid-tempo jamming with lots of solos. At some point the going gets a bit heavier, and we hear some excellent electric violin soloing (Cyndee Lee Rule). At one point the track goes into very mystical places. Amazing stuff! “Outback Event” is a very good sequencer number with didgeridoo by Paul Dunmore. “Piano Interval” is, as the title suggests, a shortish piano piece followed by “Houri” that starts as weird ambient. Then Bridget recites a short poem after which the ethnic rhythm begins. The enjoyable and lenghty ”The Gulhane Gardens” (situated in Istanbul) is an electronic and slow, bubbling track that has some Oriental feel. The album is finished with “Alien Trilogy”. The first part “Alien Song” is a cheery and upbeat psych pop number with Vocoder vocals and real drums. This works really well! The slower and mechanical sounding “Eat, Eat, Eat” also includes Vocoder vocals and brings to mind Air a bit. The last part “The Sound of Emptiness” is spacious ambient: cold and distant. At its best, Dr. Silbury’s Liquid Brainstem Band is totally awesome modern psychedelia, and there are many really good tracks on the album. With his quests Stephen has managed to create a very varied album that has a rich palette of sounds, but the whole is still well together and logical. One of the best albums this year!" Dj Astro (Finland) August 2007 Mooch is the spacerock alter ego of SF writer Stephen Palmer, and Dr. Silbury's ... is his latest incarnation. Mostly created on a Mac by Palmer, with crucial musical assistance from the likes of Viper violinist Cyndee Lee Rule and ex-Hawkwind singer Bridgett Wishart and others. The album is a concept: Dr Silbury invents a quantum jukebox which allows him to communicate and play with versions of his own band that exist in alternative dimensions. Musically, this album is wonderfully eclectic, as befits the concept, while never straying too far from the spacerock template. At its heart is Palmer's synths & sequencers putting it up against modern style spacerockers like Hidria Spacefolk and ColorStar, but a sensitive live drummer and occasional searing psych guitar (Steve Hillage comparisons!) underscore the album with a firm rock footing. It never gets too heavy, though, and seldom goes up-tempo into powerhouse territory, preferring to hypnotize the listener with languid grooves and extended improvisations from guitar and keys, all blended into lengthy instrumentals and dreamy soundscapes. Throw in symphonic prog tendencies with tracks that often mutate in startling fashion, laid back dub bass on a couple of tracks, lots of sound effects, a liberal spreading of 'ethnic' instrumentation [Palmer is a collector] and ambient electronica, understated yet infectious melodies and riffs, Bridgett's distinctive contribution, Mellotron .... The scope is wide-ranging, and its influences diverse, yet the album hangs together really well as an excellent addition to the spacerock cannon. First impressions: I love it. Although at over 2 hours long it requires a significant investment in listening time, it never outstays its welcome - it is full of variety and invention which maintain interest levels throughout. Faults are few and relatively minor. Joolz / Ratingfreak.com Full review by Gary Hill of Music Street Journal This is a double disc set from Mooch and while you might be reminded of The Beatles’ Sergeant Peppers… by the title, I don’t get the feeling this is any kind of massive concept album. Instead it’s a series of slices of electronic space rock with a strong emphasis on the “space” part of that moniker. There are moments that will call to mind early Pink Floyd and some others that might make you think of Hawkwind. If this disc has a shortcoming it is that some of the tracks seem to go on a bit too long. That said, this only applies to a few parts of the set and overall this is pretty awesome. Mooch is the brain child of Stephen Palmer, who, going by the name of Dr. Silbury, is the main performer and songwriter here. A notable guest is Bridget Wishart, who is probably best known for her work in Hawkwind. While this disc may be a bit too “out there” for a lot of music lovers – and some space rock fans, it has a lot to like about it. I personally wouldn’t put it in my list of favorite space rock albums, but it is one I think I’ll be spinning from time to time far into the future. Track by Track Review CD1 Eight Spokes Spacey keys lead off the event and they begin to power this up by increasing the volume and complexity. They move through a number of shifts, but the general musical themes remain solid. Eastern tones are worked in over the top in the form of a killer space rock guitar solo. At over nine and a half minutes in length, this instrumental serves as a great lengthy introduction to the sounds and textures that will pervade and direct the proceedings. They drop it way back later to mostly percussion with some odd sound effects. It rises back up from there in nice fashion to carry on. It moves down to sheer ambience for a while to end. Cwmyoy Dub Percussion leads this off with a much more rocking approach. Guitar comes up and we get looped vocals for a short time. This one has more of a garage band approach to it, but the space elements are still all over this. This powers out as it carries on into a very Hawkwind-like jam. As they move back into the more trippy electronic modes later, eventually overlayers of sound bring in some dissonance and new dimensions. They continue altering and adapting the sounds in a cohesive, but intriguing way until finally ending. Jupiter Event At just over sixteen minutes in length this is the longest cut on show here. It starts with spacey ambient keys that remind me just a bit of very early Pink Floyd. They begin to build upwards very gradually with this format in mind. As the vocals and waves of keys wash in melody (these are the first real vocals of the disc) that Floyd leaning is even more apparent. This is a great track to fully realize some of the musical visions that were presented in the works of the earliest of PF’s works. The lyrics are strictly space oriented and later in the track a fusion-like guitar solo glides over the surface of the soundscape and some more Hawk-like elements also appear. We get a killer keyboard solo and then another even more potent guitar excursion. As another keyboard dominated segment takes over we get a revitalized and invigorating jam. The pattern of alternating keyboard and guitar solos continues on in great fashion. At just past the nine-minute mark it drops back to just textural keys and then what sounds like whale song flits over the top against the sounds of ocean waves. Weird sound effects, pieces of distorted voices and other madness take it for a while. After a time, though, a new jam that is quite melodic and very much in the vein of Hawkwind takes over. This eventually powers out into a reprise of the song’s main musical themes. This finally gives way to a few bleeps to end it. This is one of my favorite pieces on the set. Saz Interval Dark, mysterious and rather dissonant sounds lend a feeling of impending doom to the introduction here. This short instrumental really never moves far from that point, instead serving as a potent little piece of atmosphere and a respite between the longer pieces. Anderson Council This one rocks out more than some of the other material here. While it has more of that garage band texture it also has some of the most progressive rock like changes and twists to it. Odd non-lyrical vocals are a nice touch on the arrangement here. More of that early Floyd texture can be found on this one. At around the two and a half minute mark it wanders out into more pure space, feeling a bit like Hawkwind’s “Sonic Attack” at times. The space becomes more twisted and frightening as it moves forward. The dissonance builds up, as well as this becomes stranger. At around the four and a half minute mark, though, we move back into the familiar bouncing melody line that preceded this astral journey. The Falcon While the keys that start this one off have a mysterious and spacey tone, the ambience is also quite pretty. This rises ever so gradually upward. This never really rises past the point of ambient music, but non-lyrical vocals do come over the top to lend a new texture and the instruments manage to imbue a certain energy and vitality to the work at times. My only complaint on this one is that it’s a bit too long without enough variation. Silver Violet Flame A more melodic and energized texture leads this one off. You can hear hints of a European café at times on the mix, but this is in general all space rock. The vocals on this are wonderful, as is the interplay with the keyboard layers. While listed as Cora Cornicopia, that voice is provided by none other than Bridget Wishart, who was the voice of Hawkwind for a while. I really enjoyed her work with that band, and this song feels as if it could have fit on the Space Bandits album. Glad to get the chance to hear her again. She’s got a great space rock voice. The arrangement and performance on this track overall is just stellar and it might well be my favorite of both discs. It’s a great way to give you incentive to put the second CD into your player. CD2 Sandman Starting with percussion this piece combines mellow space rock with psychedelia for great effect. Wishart again provides the vocals here. This is a more “song” oriented track. It really has its own flavor and style. It’s not as effective as some of the other material on the set, but definitely has its moments, include a tasty jazzy instrumental segment. Later on they turn it even further into the jazz realm for great effect. Cycad Wishart continues on as the vocalist here. Dark and mysterious tones start this one in sedate, ambient ways and the cut begins to rise up from this backdrop. This track remains in this mellow format, feeling almost classical in approach, but manages to convey mood and tone in such a way that makes it one of my favorites here. We do get some cool keyboard soloing. In some way this feels to me a bit like “Wings” from the aforementioned Hawkwind album Space Bandits. I particularly enjoy the layered vocal segment and the killer, energized jam that follows it. Damien's Drums Starting with sedate keyboards, very quickly we get this cool little segment that seems to me like passing a space buoy that’s emitting some sort of homing signal. As the track carries on the instruments seem to recreate that encounter. They drop it way back and a poetry reading begins. This poem seems to me to talk about a drummer starting to play after inducing a psychedelic substance. Drums enter after a time and the song intensifies, with more potent space rock jamming taking over. It works up into a killer number until it drops back to ambience for another section of the poetry, “Damien is told by the pixies to do something different" Apparently he, and the band, listen as they turn in a hard rocking jam here that’s the most crunchy music on the set. Violin joins in and the track turns into something that resembles music from Hawkwind’s Hall Of the Mountain Grill album. This ends and another line of orders come to Damien and then the group launch into an odd, spacey open jazz type wandering. Eastern tones emerge over the top to great effect. This shifts almost toward Native American inspired space rock and then it drops back to more pure space and we find out the final fate of Damien. Outback Event This starts in near silence and then acoustic guitar rises, bringing other elements along for the ride. This is a bit playful and quite mellow. It serves as a nice respite, but at almost eight minutes it goes on way too long for what it is. Piano Interval Here we get a pretty and rather classical piano solo. This represents the breath of fresh air that “Outback Event” should have been. Houri This cut features a poetry reading by Wishart. The music that leads this off is melodic and tonal in approach. A bouncy sort of rhythm brings in more traditional space rock elements to the fray. At about a minute and a half in it drops to a dissonant sort of noise, rather like white noise. This rises and falls as it moves forward. Other sounds emerge later above this ambient soundscape. Eventually this starts a bit of building motion, but everything here moves incredibly slowly. I’d have to say “too slowly,” as it drags on a bit too much. The poetry reading doesn’t happen until about the five minute mark and it’s only a few lines, and then we get a more energized space jam that’s still a bit strange. The Gulhane Gardens This has a more dramatic texture and is rather melodic as it builds its themes. This is an instrumental. At around eleven minutes in length it’s also one of the longest cuts on the whole set. It gets quite powerful and rather jazzy at times and is one of the highlights of the album. Whale song and other more noisy sounds emerge over the top of this after a time. OK, for the literal minds out there, it’s not really whale song, but it does remind me of it. This doesn’t change dramatically at all, but, as much of the best space rock, it derives its variety from slowly moving alterations and additional layers bringing power and intrigue to the piece. It does manage to turn into a harder rocking incarnation of itself for a while later, though. This eventually shifts out into more sedate forms to finally take the track out. The Aliens Trilogy: Aliens' Song This trilogy leads off with a bouncing sort of pop-like track that feels like Klaatu meets Kraftwerk in a Beatles arrangement. This is fun and a nice change of pace with its processed vocals and, I believe, theremin. We get a cool, guitar solo, too, that at times reminds me a bit of Steve Howe. Eat, Eat, Eat Drums start this off in a pounding repetitive pattern. This carries it for a time and keyboards begin to build over the top of it. The vocals here are also processed. This is rather powerful in its arrangement. It’s a cool track. The Sound of Emptiness The sounds of nature and ambience lead off here. While varying bits of strange sound are added here and there it never rises far above its origins. I’m not sure this is the best choice to end the set with, but it does a good job of grounding this trilogy. Gary Hill / Music Street Journal]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:11:27 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/posts/text/4989984 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989899 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:05:28 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989899 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989897 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:05:25 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989897 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989896 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:05:19 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989896 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989895 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:05:15 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989895 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989847 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:01:33 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989847 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989844 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:01:29 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989844 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989843 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:01:25 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989843 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989834 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:01:21 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989834 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989833 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:01:17 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989833 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989825 ]]> Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:59:05 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4989825 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850833 ]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:24:50 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850833 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850831 ]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:24:04 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850831 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850830 ]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:23:22 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850830 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850828 ]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:22:55 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850828 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850824 ]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:22:20 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850824 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850822 ]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:21:45 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850822 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850820 ]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:21:01 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850820 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850808 ]]> Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:19:24 -0700 http://virb.com/moochspacey/photos/4850808