Longtime fans of US space rock outfit Quarkspace can rejoice with the release of All These Suns, the first release from the band since 2001's Drop, and now available digitally via their Bandcamp page (link below) as well as all major download & streaming services. The line-up for this release includes Darren Gough (guitar, vocals), Chet Santia (bass, guitars, vocals), Jay Swanson (keyboards, vocals), and Paul Williams (drums, keyboards, vocals), with special guests that include Carl Howard (synth), Stan Lyon (bass), and Carlton Smith (drums), each appearing on a few tracks.
The 12-minute title track is the centerpiece here, a piece that the band have played live many times, here a percolating mix of haunting space rock, folk, and jazz, with hazy vocals drifting in and out of the mix, dreamy keys & synths, wah-wah guitar solos, and plenty of tribal drums and percussion. One can totally envision this track taking on epic proportions in a live environment. There's a nice blend of jazzy piano with bubbling electronica, busy drumming, and rock guitar on "Who Lost Frederick?", while the lovely "The Prodigal Spaceman" will just sweep you away with glorious '70s styled synth explorations and Mellotron sounds. It's Tangerine Dream meets Hawkwind on the stunning "Solar Progenics", spacey synth blips & bleeps colliding with heavy guitars, and the drifting "Watch For Swimmers" follows suit, with a dollop of Pink Floyd thrown in for good measure. Let us not forget just how well Quarkspace can throw some addicting grooves into their music too, which they do so well on "Starbridge Freaks 4" and the chilling "The Prodigal Galaxy", the latter again tossing in some jazzy piano to match up with the haunting Mellotron, synths, booming bass, psychedelic guitar leads, and intricate drumming. And, wait until you hear the killer guitar solo on closing cut "Space Folds Upon Itself"...talk about going on a journey.
Honestly, not a weak track to be found here, and I can safely say that All These Suns is easily one of the best space rock albums I've heard in 2018. Hopefully it's not another 17 years before we hear from this talented outfit again. Mandatory listening right here folks.
Track Listing
1.
Starbridge Freaks 4 03:44
2.
All These Suns 12:13
3.
Who Lost Frederick? 03:18
4.
The Prodigal Spaceman 06:05
5.
Solar Progenics 06:14
6.
Watch for Swimmers 06:48
7.
The Prodigal Galaxy 05:28
8.
Space Folds Upon Itself 05:34
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
