Reviews - Plainsongs          (see also foreign language and live reviews)

Now this is a thoroughly enjoyable jaunt! It's like leaping back in time to late seventies Wishbone Ash (which happened to be my favourite Ash era), mixed up with a sliver of Atomic Rooster type organ work, with a pinch of Man for good measure. Absolutely splendid. At times it's almost as though we finally have a jam band of our own, worthy to stand up next to the likes of my beloved Widespread Panic. Album highlight "Cosmic Blues" can certainly stand proud with the best of them, all duelling twin guitars and funky backbeat. When it looks as though things are going a bit too far, the keyboards pull everything back to the melody, and the very English vocals (think Camel) lead us onwards. I can't fault this release, it's like having my very own best of collection, all played by the same band, it's that good. The near title track, "Plainsong" is the spaciest track on offer, very west coast (California not Glasgow), and the epic "The Little Peace At The End", is anything but. Loads of synths swooping in and out after a reflective intro, and then the guitars take you away to another space. It's been on repeat for several days now and I haven't tired of it yet. This is one of the finest albums of the year so far, and an absolutely essential purchase. You can order it direct from the band at the website address given. Hurry now, you won't regret it!
Stuart aka Zeitgeist www.space-rock.co.uk

an addictive prog/jam debut....
original tunes, gliding jams, deepest space
their natural exuberance spills out all over the place!
... essential listening.
The Spacemen call themselves "a rock, blues, funk, jazzy, jam, progressive, spacey kind of band playing original music ". It's all there in this impressive studio debut. It's a gliding, upbeat album inspired by, among others, Man, Yes, the Allmans and the Canterbury scene, and with former Charlies on board, the Dead influence goes without saying. With a "live" feel to the production, and some seriously catchy tunes launching the guitar and keyboard workouts, it's addictive stuff. 
Bill Pannifer - Eyes of the World

Now this is a remarkable thing - the band only formed in 2002, but you put this album on and you'll hear 1972 and that era of music. With songs ranging from five to thirteen minutes long, you'll hear glimpses of things that remind you variously of Man, Quiver, Help Yourself, Caravan, Wishbone Ash, Brinsley Schwarz and similar. Take the thirteen minute fifth track (Plainsong) that opens with a neat line in solo and harmony vocals before launching into a soaring extended dual guitar workout that is just right out of the seventies Man/Wishbone Ash way of doing things, albeit with the odd synth swoop behind for added enjoyment, but just one stunning sea of playing as the guitars entwine, duel and chime, and which continue right to the end of the track. The twelve minute seventh track (The Little Peace at the End) gives more space to the fifth member of the band, the keyboards guy, opening with a gorgeous intro from what sounds like mini-Moog and Moog choir (but probably isn't) before the rest of the band move in, the seventies styled rhythms sound crisp and punchy while the guitars provide the magic all over again as the space synths swoop before the band then lurches into a rhythm right out of the '72-era Man/Caravan songbook, complete with suitably sounding organ work and lush solo vocal. The lengthy instrumental workout this time features the two guitarists and the synth/organ to good measure with the ever dependable rhythm section providing the dynamic propulsion. It is so unbelievably seventies sounding as to take your breath away, right down to the feel, sound, pace, structure and analogue warmth of the production, a sound that is crystal clear throughout. Even the shorter tracks have some great solos in them, while the vocals are uniformly good all the way through. Lord knows what will happen to the band - they deserve to be acclaimed - but this album is a total treat for anyone who thinks those English guitar bands of the early seventies had it all. 
Andy Garibaldi CD Services We also made Andy's 'Best of Year' listing for 2004!

...There are similarities between modern American so-called 'jam bands' such as Phish and Widespread Panic mixed with influences from British stalwarts like Man and even Hawkwind. The dual lead guitars of Weston and Overy are also reminiscent of the classic Wishbone Ash sound, particularly on the opening Rising Light which almost effortlessly invokes the mood and feel of benchmark albums such as Argus. Both guitarists are prominent throughout the album with the structure of each song allowing plenty of space for solos. Credit must be given to the band for restraining themselves and not overindulging in the soloing. One gets the feeling that tracks such as Taking Control and City Song could easily have been extended with the guitarists happily taking the songs into new directions with the rest of the band eagerly following. The album isn't totally dominated by guitars as keyboardist House is eager to join in the fun. His role encompasses providing spacey Tim Blake-ish effects (as on Plainsong), laying down the musical platform over which the guitarists can bend their six strings and even providing a few solos! There is some lovely organ work that brings to mind Dave Sinclair at his best with Caravan. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with the vocals, it would be fair to say that none of the three vocalists in the group (Overy, Weston and Willson) have the strongest of voices. This is not really an issue as the prime focus of the band is the instrumentation. They do harmonise together reasonably well, particularly on Brand New Day, which is probably the closest the band gets to creating a track that could be used as a single, not that one could ever imagine they would ever contemplate such a thing! Saving the best for the close, The Little Peace At The End, which runs neatly into the album closer In The Garden, provides the highlight of the album for me, from the keyboard introduction (with Mellotron-like choirs upping the prog rating) to the funky and insistent bass riff, these pieces admirably capture everything that the Spacemen are about and what they aim for. The quarter of an hour of music flies past with never a dull moment. Each of the musicians excels on this excellent pair of compositions that must be the highlight of any live set. With The Little Peace At The End, The Urban Spacemen have found their own little Dark Star around which to orbit. There is enough on this album to keep fans of any of the bands mentioned in this review happy. The maturity of the musicians, the confidence in their abilities and the lack of pressure to make it big, has given the Spacemen the freedom to simply record an album of the music they like. And unlike the urban spaceman sung about by Neil Innes, these astronauts actually do exist! 
Mark Hughes Dutch Progressive Rock Page

There seem to be some interesting new prog rock hybrids coming out these days. This disc definitely falls into that category, combining space rock sounds of Hawkwind and jam band type elements like The Grateful Dead with early Pink Floyd and more traditional prog textures. The disc is a very entertaining one and shows some definite promise for these guys. I'm looking forward to see what they do next. Read the full detailed review at www.musicstreetjournal.com/urbanspace.htm

...This entire collection is about the sheer joy of getting up and playing music for it's own sake. It's essentially a no holds barred celebration of the extended guitar workout with some well judged keyboard solos thrown in for good measure. 'Rising Light', a classy opener, is firmly in Dire Straits territory(!?), while the following 'Cosmic Blues' has more than a hint of Phil Ryan about the keyboards. A couple of slightly mellower numbers follow, the second of which builds from a semi-acoustic opening to a fine bluesy guitar solo, before we reach the lengthy title track. 'Plainsong' itself starts out sounding like something Alcatraz might have come up with, before a short atmospheric interlude develops neatly into another outbreak of excellent guitar. Finally returning to the earlier theme, it's hard to believe that more than 13 minutes has passed when the track comes to an end. 'Brand New Day' is a sort of Help Yourself / Neutrons hybrid, while the closing medley of 'The Little Peace At The End' and 'In The Garden' gives the band another opportunity to open up, this time for 15 minutes. Listening to 'Plainsongs', it's almost as if the last quarter of a century never happened. It's unashamedly rooted in the seventies, and it's easy to lose track of the myriad influences which make their presence felt along the way. At various points, even if only for fleeting momes, I found myself reminded of Steve Hillage (circa 'Green'), Man, the Allman Brothers, Manfred Mann's Earthband, and even Caravan. With influences like that I guess it's hard to go too far wrong...
Alan Kinsman The Welsh Connection

It arrived, and flipping good it is too - takes me right back to when I was still optimistic in the mid 70s. Lots of influences in there, principally The Dead. The guitar work is so tasty you could live off it... Mark Eason May 2004

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