music review:

Magic Moments at Twilight Time ::: "Creavolution"

space-rock-indie-psychedelia

A spacey mix that reminds of Hawkwind, late-70s Kraftwerk, Stereolab, Blondie, and Anubian Lights. That's how I'd describe this album. While this album has a great amount of diversity - from driving space-rock through to flamenco-acid-ballads with warm analogue synth burblings and the talents of 6 vocalists (3 female 3 male) - it is held firmly together through its concepts and musical themes.

The opening track "The Starship Psychotron" took several listens for me to appreciate - possibly because of its fun fantasy nature! I like the way this track breathes - lots of music breaks between the dreamy female vocal refrains of Leonie Jackson. It's characterised by lots of Jean Michel Jarrish analogue synth arpeggios, spine tingle sounds and a doof techno beat on an old clankety drum machine. "Lights turn blue" begins with an alien voice anti-nuke narration which leads into a more serious rock track with the British rock voice of Inga Leru. "Kronophobia" begins with a marching snare beat that moves into a grooving Hawkwindish track featuring the vocals of MMATT's musical mastermind, Mick Magic. He must have been wearing the darkest set of sunglasses for this track - i.e very "cool".

In the middle of the album are the tracks which really do it for me! "Purple eyed & mystified" is an excellent trippy pop track with very dreamy vocals by Leonie. I dug this so much that EYE started doing a remix of it!! (hopefully it'll be finished one day soon). "Demonic Attack" is another slightly harder sounding rocking piece - due largely to Inga's vocals - with Brian John Doran's baritone voice. I think a kick-ass rock drummer would work better on this piece than the drum machine though! "Spirit Electric" is another personal highlight for me. With its spanish flamenco-ish acoustic guitar and rhythms it reminds me of projects like Anubian Lights. "The night fantasia" is a real epic with its fantasy analogue synth-burblings and dreamy vocals - a track that sends shivers up my spine, grabs you and takes you flying through inner and outer space. Leonie Jackson really has a terrific voice; the harmonies work tremendously well. "Love let thy name be darkness" features more superb female vocal harmonies - another great light and trippy goth-pop track. "The Torch" is a chug-a-long piece that showcases the baritone vocals of Brian John Doran who reminds me of Laibach (a big compliment from me!) at their most gallant and operatic moments - but with more of a tongue-in-cheek fun attitude! The album closes with "Rock and Roll Lifestyle"; a mega-mega-cheesey upstage of the cheesiest rock and roll band you've ever heard! Overall, this album has a late 1970s, early 1980s feel to it - mainly due to the drum machine programming sounds and the analogue synth burblings. For myself and others who dig the early 80s new romantic synth-pop space sound that's fine. However, I think that may hold this venture from achieving the potential contemporary success it deserves.

This is an album that I wouldn't have been able to get into in years past - when I was predominantly into heavy political music. However, for now, this is an album that I would love to have been involved in making. Why? Because: a) it sounds like it was lots of fun b) the tracks are great pop and space-rock compositions and c) I'm inspired with things that I'd like to add - mainly this would be in the area of drum programming - I'd groove them up and make them a bit jungly-trip-hoppish with some broader sound sources and textures. Though that may have been something MMATT were deliberately avoiding. These tracks really deserve wider recognition and exposure. I look forward to hearing what they'll do with a bigger budget and studio.

Available for 7.99 British Pounds from: Music & Elsewhere/ United World Underground - 6 Farm Court Frimley Surrey GU16 5TJ U.K. (0216-684209)

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