| Cosmonaut On Vacation — Let the Moment Land (2013) |
Cosmonaut On Vacation — Let the Moment Land
Location: Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Album release: April 2013
Record Label: This Is American Music label
Duration: 35:10
Tracks:
01 Rundown at Sundown 2:35
02 Alright If We Fight 4:18
03 Dirty World 3:05
04 Float Song 5:28
05 The Little Things 2:21
06 We Could Use a High Horse 3:26
07 Hallo(w) Gallo(w) 6:42
08 Up to Me 2:49
09 Underneath the Sun 4:26
Members:
— Greg Slamen guit and vox
— Zach Evans drums
Sounds like: Brian Jonestown Massacre, Oasis, the Dandy Warhols, MGMT
Influences: Kinks, Can, Neu!, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind
φ The Birmingham band Cosmonaut On Vacation has put a new twist on Southern music that sounds more like Guided By Voices than Drive-By Truckers.
φ Greg Slamen, like fellow Through the Sparks mate Jody Nelson, has surrounded himself with some mighty fine musicians indulging into something completely different with Let the Moment Land, a collection of tunes that push the edge. As you make your way through the record each track keeps you on your toes because you never get the same thing twice. Jangly guitars and echoing vocals litter the recording bringing a sense of melodic peace to many of the songs, but just when you think you have them pegged all hell breaks loose. Songs like “Dirty World” and “Alright If We Fight” possess a lot of what made 60’s garage rock so good then you have “The Little Things” employing electro vibration sounds to the music and vocals causing Slamen at times to sound like a robot. On “We Could Use A High Horse” there is a bit of twang infused into the music and “Up To Me” takes the listener in all kinds of directions. When you get to the final song on the album be prepared to have your ears blown as “Underneath The Sea” travels the entire spectrum of what is good about COV’s music.
REVIEW
July 3, 2013; Score: ****
φ As I sit here at the McDonald’s Playland watching my son going in and out of the massive play apparatus that resembles a big ass hamster habitat, the noises from the screaming children and gossiping moms are enough to drive a guy insane. That is why I always bring along the trusty iPod so I can escape the utter chaos that is a McDonald’s Playland and retreat into music. On this particular day the shuffle brought up “Rundown At Sundown” by Cosmonaut On Vacation which was the perfect soundtrack to the pandemonium that was surrounding me.
φ The Birmingham band Cosmonaut On Vacation (COV) has put a new twist on Southern music that sounds more like Guided By Voices than Drive-By Truckers. Greg Slamen, like fellow Through The Sparks mate Jody Nelson, has surrounded himself with some mighty fine musicians indulging into something completely different with Let The Moment Land, a collection of tunes that push the edge. As you make your way through the record each track keeps you on your toes because you never get the same thing twice. Jangly guitars and echoing vocals litter the recording bringing a sense of melodic peace to many of the songs, but just when you think you have them pegged all hell breaks loose. Songs like “Dirty World” and “Alright If We Fight” possess a lot of what made 60’s garage rock so good then you have “The Little Things” employing electro vibration sounds to the music and vocals causing Slamen at times to sound like a robot. On “We Could Use A High Horse” there is a bit of twang infused into the music and “Up To Me” takes the listener in all kinds of directions. When you get to the final song on the album be prepared to have your ears blown as “Underneath The Sea” travels the entire spectrum of what is good about COV’s music.
φ Let The Moment Land is full of some of the freshest tunes to cross my ears this year. COV is not afraid to try new things and stray from the musical norm. While built off of solid guitar play and powerful drums, they pick the right moments to inject other instruments, sounds and effects. I highly suggest you give this record a listen you will not be disappointed and if you happen to be in a fast food playground it really comes in handy. (http://www.examiner.com/)
Website: http://cosmonautonvacation.com/
Twitter: http://cosmonautonvacation.com/#a54/twitter
Tumblr: http://cosmonautonvacation.com/#cde/tumblr
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cosmonautonvacation
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/this-is-american-music/up-to-me
Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Cosmonaut+on+Vacation
Through the Sparks
Artist Biography by Mark Deming
Styles: Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Neo-Prog, Prog-Rock
φ Conjuring up clouds of sound that blend elements of prog rock, psychedelia, and indie rock, Birmingham, AL's Through the Sparks began life in 2003 as a side project for guitarist Nikolaus Mimikakis, his percussionist brother Thomas Mimikakis, and bassist Greg Slamen, who at the time were working with John Paul Keith in his band Stateside. They had already begun recording songs as Through the Sparks when Keith decided to fold Stateside, so Slamen and the Mimikakis brothers simply refocused their attention on their new project. Adding multi-instrumentalists Jody Nelson and James Brangle to the lineup — both of whom play a variety of keyboards and guitars with the group — Through the Sparks began taking their intricate soundscapes into live venues, and in the spring of 2005 they released their first CD, a six-song EP called Coin Toss on the independent Skybucket label. This was followed in early 2006 with Audiolotas: Scraps for the Human Ear, a collection of demos, home recordings, and "unfinished" compositions intended to document the band's earliest period. Through the Sparks's first proper studio album, Lazarus Beach, arrived in spring 2007.
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| Cosmonaut On Vacation — Let the Moment Land (2013) |