In search of Spock (or something) with San Diego’s newest space rockers
The first British Astronaut Colonel Tim Peake, it seems to us, has missed a trick while on the Space Station mission. He’s been busy ringing the wrong people instead of his wife, and he’s been waving Stoke City FC flags about, but he hasn’t been on the hunt – as far as we know anyway – for Martian rumpy pumpy.
Help is at hand. San Diego’s space rockers Desert Suns have got a way around the problem, and they can find you a willing partner pretty quick. At least, MV assumes that’s what “Space Pussy” is about. Singer/bassist Dave Russell is drained of blood (and Lord knows what else) as well as being in “space love” by the end. And let’s be fair, if this was the plot of the new Star Wars then MV might have gone along to the cinema by now.
The obvious out of the way, the nitty gritty of the facts are these. This six tracker is a re-release of the long since sold out debut from Desert Suns. The four piece (and hats are tipped to the brilliantly named guitarist Woogie Maggard) originally released this last year as a limited run through UK label Hevisike, this is a worldwide effort as a collaboration between them and the ever reliable Ripple, and it’s fitting that such an ambitious record can now be heard on a wider scale.
This is widescreen stuff from a galaxy far, far away. The opening riff of “Burning Temples” is fuzzy and huge, but there’s a Doors-like psychedelica here mixed in with some really heavy riffs. This is the type of stuff that Dave Wyndorf tries when he’s bored and feeling really trippy, and when the dual guitar riff kicks in, this is pretty special.
Throughout this brilliant collection there isn’t a chance to get comfortable. “Passing Through” is all diving riffs and pulsing intent, but just as important is the acoustics and harmonica of “Ten Foot Down” which is almost the band getting around the campfire and playing under the stars.
That light, airy track provides admirable counter balance to the dense stuff elsewhere, “Memories Of Home” is perhaps the most straight ahead, what we might term “desert rock” song here, but it has fine melody and excellent guitar work to back it up, becoming as it unfolds, a real highlight.
You suspect, though, that for the band, the one they really enjoyed is saved until last. “Run Through My Roots” meanders merrily between galaxies and between heavy and lilting, and this you’d guess is the summation of everything that Desert Suns want to achieve.
They’ll have plenty of time too, and given this magnificent start it will be interesting to see where their journey takes them. Somewhere between a small step and a giant leap, either way, they have lift off.
Rating 8.5/10
