ALSO RISING

"Also Rising" marks clearly the departure of the band from their improvised psychedelic debuts to a more structured music. With this album, SUBARACHNOID SPACE delivers constructed and evolving songs, rather agressive or calm, but always frightening. The addition of the air organ contributes to the mysterious atmosphere.

The opener "The Harsh Facts of Life" is a perfect example of the group's slight change of direction. Powerful and tortured, the introduction make me think a little of some passages from RADIOHEAD's "OK Computer". The second part of the song is more chaotic and mystical, yet organised and terrifying. A great moment! "Deep End" opens more slowly to grow in intensity and finally explode, to go on with he the "untitled" song, a pretty good down- tempo spacey tune taking place in the no man's land. The next track, "Angel Food" is very light and relaxing, contrasting with the band's debut raw songs.

A little jazz feel arrive with "Burn Shot" and "Tucson", both groovy and icy. The floating guitar is very inspired and will project you to another spaces. The RADIOHEAD and post-rock influences come back again with the ambient and dissonant "Dateland". Landscapes of desolation are put into music with the pounding "Down Nod Out", while destruction is featured by the powerful "Tigris" and its elongated guitar playing and vaporous atmosphere.

With this record, SUBARACHNOID SPACE rediscovers 70's psychedelia by showing more modern influences such as GOSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR!, but always with their own touch. As one of their more varied release, "Also Rising" is cold, floating, terrifying, jazzy, calm and tortured, but always deep and growing. Very recommended to psychedelic and post-rock fans.

After five studio albums consisting of nothing but improvs SUBARACHNOID SPACE finally release a record full of structured songs called "Also Rising". And this is really good as is the next studio album "The Red Veil" another 4 star album like this one in my opinion. They are a four piece with two guitarists, bassist and drummer with the one guitarist adding air organ and we get some hammond on that second tune. These guys and girl are from San Francisco forming in1995 and my one experience with one of their improv albums was terrible, not a fan at all. The music here has a definite post rock flavour and this band is known for being a psychedelic rock band for the most part.

This 2003 release begins with "The Harsh facts Of Life" at 10 minutes and my favourite. Air organ to start then drums followed by drums and guitar. This just sounds so cool then I'm asking what are they doing after 3 minutes as we get a slight change with this pulsating wall of sound sort of with that guitar melody and drums continuing. It changes after 5minutes and it's still heavy. They proceed to slow it down and it's dark. Check out the inventive guitar around 8 minutes in. A spacey ending to this great opener.

I really like the next one "Deep End" as well with the picked guitar and slow beats along with the upfront bass. Nice. Sounds like a bowed instrument over top. Love that bass though as they trip along here. Post rock guitar to the fore then they strip it back to the picked guitar and drums again. How about the intensity 4 minutes in when it kicks back in. When it settles back after 5 minutes I can breathe again. Atmosphere galore to end it. "Burn Shot"is a high energy piece for almost 4 1/2 minutes and I like that they change the guitars up a few times on this one. Crazy stuff late. My second favourite has to be "Tigris". Chaos to start followed by distortion and it doesn't start to move until the drums arrive after 1 1/2 minutes. Listen to that guitar before 2 1/2 minutes. So good. This track is the longest at almost 11 minutes.

While I think the first two studio albums blow away their early improv phase their live albums are the ones to get, even better. A review of one of those live records coming in a couple of months Lord willing.