EARTHLING SOCIETY

The front cover illustration may be a rewarding indication. This still is an odd affair for me. While following Fred Laird's approach a bit during the recent years, I know that he is an innovative head by all means. 'We think we've made a groovy as [%*!#] concept', he says. Okay!? And 'it doesn't really matter, as it all ends up EARTHLING SOCIETY'. Period! In order to get into the music, sometimes further even perhaps, this implies to reserve more time and patience in general. The story, just an everyday one, if you will ask the innovator, is dealing with a Hong Kong kick boxer, who is out all over in Thailand having diverse adventures ...

... then once being paralyzed, but revenged by his brother ... eventually - remember the album title - a demon comes into consideration ... eh ... otherwise, would you please confer with Fred himself for getting deeper into that? The music then, quite simply, who will be surprised, is set to be an imaginary soundtrack for this thematical background. Including him as the protagonist on guitar and other goodies, as well as the reliable longtime companions Kim Allen (bass) and Jon Blacow on diverse percussion instruments.

The forerunner album 'Zen Bastard' reflected a more retrospective orientation, quasi back to the roots due to more common space rock given. Well, this obviously is looking forward, here they are testing boundaries again, I would say. As promised it's a dynamic affair, equipped with much groove served by the solid rhythm section. But you'll be also faced with an orgiastic acid guitar, drone and feedback battle in some cases. The album's Main Theme marks a fantastic entree, multiple guitar tracks are merged, turns out to be really melodic also.

King Boxer comes in a similar way with quirky electronics on top, where Inaugaration Of The Buddha Dome then will appear like a break, a mental downfall hereafter. The vinyl B side is deriving from another recording session. Spring Snow shows a compelling spoken word collaboration with Bomi Seo. Something special for sure, an exotic Korean touch will serve a welcomed variety. The wondrous Jetavina Grove finally comes with vocals and an indo/raga fundament featuring tablas, saz, sitar or whatsoever exactly.

Well, it took me some extra time to get used to this stuff, which will be released on Riot Season Records soon. Repetitive at a first glance, the diverse nuances unfold step by step though. Fred Earthling's next move marks an interesting full-blown expedition. With pleasure I will give some applause for such an ambitious and rather unusual strategy. Dedicated to those listeners who are searching for heavy space rock off the beaten path, arranged with acid guitars all over.

EARTHLING SOCIETY are known for a rather acid heavy space rock style, this partially enriched with a proper portion of krautrock elements in recent times. That makes them quite unique and special, not an issue for everybody's taste on the other hand. Now the new album 'Zen Bastard' sounds a bit like back to the roots somehow, like pointing to the early stages. And indeed, yes, there is something to this, as they are reworking tracks from the first two band albums 'Albion' (2005) and 'Plastic Jesus And The Third Eye Blind' (2006) here as well. Solely the title track is brand new, where another one originally can be found as a band contribution to a split LP, released last year. That would mean a time lapse of more than ten years when it comes to the whole considered material.

Anyhow, concerning the given atmosphere and flow the production sounds completely rounded. Predominantly due to fact that this stuff has been recorded during one weekend solely in April 2016 at Dave Anderson's Foel Studios in its entirety. Hence the four songs are also capturing the band's live sound quite well, even though guitars are overdubbed here and there, which in principle will serve a more luxuriant sound. While being responsible for the song writing, Fred Laird appears as the spiritual mastermind, also catering for diverse guitars and some mellotron impressions. The excellent rhythm backbone furthermore is comprised of drummer Jon Blacow, practically on his side since the beginning, and finally Kim Allen on bass, continuously aboard since 2012 at least, what I know.

So while missing any additional keyboard personal since quite a time, Fred dominates the show with his varied guitar work as usual, I would say. Additionally there are a lot of synthy alike sounds to detect, where I'm inclined to say that this is caused by the guitar though, at least partially. The title track however is prospering very mellotron drenched right from the start. This 16 minute lasting bastard runs in different stages. The intriguing groove helps to make it big in the end. When following the indo/raga flavoured Mountain King Blues it soon will be clear that this is not implemented as a common Blues tune. So much the more since an inevitable heavy guitar storm is coming up sooner or later, evolving into a fury climax reminiscent of The Who's wildest times on stage. Wow! Please be careful regarding the volume, that might pull off your headphones or ask for trouble with your family respectively neighbours!

And then, equipped with a cool halting beat and obvious dub tendencies, OutsideOfInTime returns, space rock decorated with a trippy flavour at its best! The Kosmik Suite finally flows just like the title promises. That means initiating with pure melancholy, or even elegy, if you will, but soon altering in mood and atmosphere with a Hawkind similar drive and power, again turning back later to some nice mellow parts featuring expressive guitar outings. Thanks to an inspired weekend at Foels this a very recommended band snapshot. That also means accessible when it comes to my taste, spacey stuff which is not too weird, something I prefer to listen to. The songs are offered in a groovy and hypnotic outfit basically, vocals are modified by effects mostly, not unusual when it comes to such space rock acts. Overall this is a really fine contribution to the genre discography.

Earthling Society's fusion of 1990s grunge and intergalactic flare is a rather coherent affair despite their emphasis on effects pedals and processors. Meld Eloy with Godsmack and put them a few parsecs from Earth and there you are.

"Council House Mystics" Semi-Eastern influences drive this moderately-paced song.

"Kosmik Suite No.1" Spacey wah pedaling and topsy-turvy bass funk make for a groovy experience before transforming into a pulsating organism. The final movement features all instruments firing on all cylinders.

"Plastic Jesus" An interlude of distant guitar and distorted spoken word takes shape here.

"Psychick Sunday" Reserved percussion and a steady bass line prance around a faint whining tone, while the second part is a phantasmal Vocodor sequence.

"Girls Talk" For a change of pace, Earthling Society offers a light, disco rock number, complete with tonally thin organ and electric guitar solos.

"Kosmik Suite No.2" The first movement of tidal calmness gets washed away by an energetic jam. This time, I am reminded of Eloy for the obscured vocals, spiraling synthesizer, and the sense of spacey urgency. The suite fades away into a cosmic dust storm before a final passage of psych-rock simplicity.

"Outsideofintime" A live performance captured in 2005 opens with a drenched guitar signal, steady rhythm, and indistinct vocals. The quality of the recording itself is not good, but its low-fi natures serves the performance positively, becoming an "effect" in its own right.

With increasing regularity - every year exactly - EARTHLING SOCIETY are appearing with a new album. The band is headed by guitar wizard Fred Laird who has a special affinity to krautrock stuff, which you certainly can't fail to hear when going through the discography. What strikes - and this is really not taken for granted regarding many other bands - every album sounds in a different way, and this without leaving the experimental psychedelic/space rock platform of course. Again Fred has modified the line-up a bit. Where drummer Jon Blacow is still on his side since the beginning in 2004 bassist Kim Allen is new to the crew. Occasionally (on three tracks) they are supported by Neil Whitehead (Vert:x) on synths as well as sax player Lew Dickinson.

Important to know, CD and LP version differ a lot. Maybe a matter of particular interest is that the vinyl came out firstly, released 2012 on the German Nasoni label which is specialized on psychedelic albums. This one comprises three songs where the monster title track (huch ... originally 29 minutes long) - due to length restrictions.- comes in a shortened outfit. And then June 2013 saw the release of the CD version on 4Zero Records, which is comprised of six songs, including the tilte track's full bouquet. And that's it what I'm writing about. The trip opens with a short synth and drum duet which probably is designed to mirror the inspiration when it comes to the collaboration between both the steady band members. What follows is some sort of underground music, tending more to stoner/garage dominated space rock, sometimes similar to Hawkwind.

The straightforward I Don't Know Myself surprises with a nice dub interlude, where the extended title track Zodiak evolves to Laird's showpiece, he varies a lot over the course, including fuzzy guitar moments, soaring spacey excursions, heavy Dave Brock riffs and a Greatful Dead westcoach touch.reflecting the US counterculture. The second epic contribution attracts my attention especially - Astral Traveller - no doubt where this leads to, eh? Made of two different parts it starts with a smooth meandering space jam featuring cheerful multilayered guitar input, pleading here and echoing there. Kim Allen shines with a funky bass. When passing over the point of no return then, the band turns into a rrrrrocking behaviour again.

Finally the mysterious dub laden The Elevator Does Not Stop At This Floor rounds the album up, when considering the collaboration of all involved musicians probably the most inspired track. Thematically pointing to astrology and occultism 'Zodiak' certainly stands for another interesting new band facet. I'm not sure if this album really marks the band's finest hour, however, heavy space rock fans should not miss this - 3.5 stars.

Very nice psych/space prog!

This is one of the genres that actually got me into progressive rock, so it is always wonderful to discover new bands whose talent and originality is shown in every single track. This happens with UK outfit Electric Society, whose 2011 release "Stations of the Ghost" show a fresh and addictive space prog. The album consists of seven compositions that make a total time of 57 minutes. So fasten your seatbelts and prepare for this journey.

It opens with "Stations of the Ghost" which is a two-minute introductory track, where we can listen to soft, atmospheric, space prog that little by little is being developed. I imagine like landing on a ship and then arrive to a new planet. This piece leads to "Dark Horizons" which is the first track in the new planet (hope you get me), and also the first that shows the rock element on it. I love the guitar sound and how synthesizers begin to create wonderful landscapes and atmospheres; there are also some vocals far away, and a great bass and drums sound that perfectly complements the music.

"The Last Hurrah" has a much laid back sound, with acoustic guitar, a soft synth background and male vocals with some effect. A couple of minutes later there is an instrumental part where the progressive rock sound is really evident, without abandoning the inherent spacey essence. Later the vocals return, and though the structure might be repeated, the song never bores. This might also be the catchiest and easiest-to-song track of the album.

Now we have a big one, because "Child of the Harvest" comes with 15 minutes on its back. It starts with a calm sound, with soft distorted guitars over a rain; a minute later vocals appear, along with drums and synthesizers, so now the track is beginning to be truly built up. A thing I like a lot, is that combination of both, acoustic and electric guitars; and a thing I must mention because it is really worth it, is the addition of a saxophone in this track, man it sounds wonderful, really! What a wise choice. In songs like this, one can really let the music do the talking, close your eyes, and transport it to the band's realm. Pure bliss!

"The Halloween Tree" is a shorter track that besides its spacey environment, shares a kind of mid-east flavor with the acoustic guitar. It leads to another biggie, entitled "Night of the Scarecrow" which since the first seconds let us know that it will be a true psychedelic trip. The repetitiveness on the structure is never boring, on the other hand, thanks to the vast diversity of elements, notes, textures, etc., they add, the song is totally addictive, hypnotizing, mindblowing. The beauty of this is that you can imagine being on various places and situations, so the music flows according to the story your mind is creating. With this, I support my argument that we don't need drugs or alcohol to have a wonderful trip.

The album finishes with "Lola Daydream" which is a more relaxed, but still trippy song in which the slow-tempo rhythm will transport you back to the earth, to your world. Well I am happy with this album, I really enjoyed it since the very first listen, and my love for it grew in every new spin, so I highly recommend it mainly to the space prog and psych fans, but I also recommend it to the average progressive rock follower. My final grade, four strong stars.

Enjoy it!

'Stations Of The Ghost' - Earthling Society (7/10)

It is refreshing and enjoyable to hear a modern psychedelic rock band that doesn't make the style into a tongue-in-cheek mockery of itself. Despite their humble beginnings, the Earthling Society has since developed into a prolific, and rather well-regarded act, although they are still largely unknown to those outside the progressive music community. Although the modern trends of psychedelic music have gravitated towards an integration with current pop/alt rock music, Earthling Society stays fairly on track with prog rock proper, a melange of the old and new that I have come to expect from the prog scene. 'Stations Of The Ghost' is a concept album of sorts that deals with a number of occult and 'spooky' subjects. Although it feels like Earthling Society is tugging in too many different directions throughout this album, the end result is one of the better pieces of psychedelic music to have come out of 2011.

While the majority of prog rock these days incorporates elements of the 'classic sound' into their music, it's rare to hear the old and new styles so seamlessly blended as it is with 'Stations Of The Ghost'. I usually find the 70's worship to defeat the purpose of progressive music, but Earthling Society are clever enough never to let those sounds overpower the modern aspect of their music. It creates a sound that isn't quite 'keeping up with the times', but certainly isn't living in the past either. That may be Earthling Society's most memorable trait. Something that makes 'Stations Of The Ghost' notable as a release in itself is that Earthling Society touch upon a myriad of psychedelic styles throughout the album. It starts off on a fairly atmospheric note, travels through the vistas of space and stoner rock, then baroque pop, and ends on a sitar-filled mellow out moment. It is very cool to hear all of these sounds within the course of an hour, but as a result, 'Stations Of The Ghost' seems to lack a distinct identity, and that's something that's almost always present in the albums I consider to be 'excellent'. Even so, the music here does not fall short of its hype.

From the standpoint of musicianship, Earthling Society execute the sometimes wildly varying moods with convincing passion and depth. The production manages to capture the details, but it does not have that organic quality that would have let the music come to life. In truth, 'Stations Of The Ghost' is not an album that will change my perspective on psychedelic rock or the modern progressive scene, but Earthling Society are doing more than enough intriguing things here to keep this album valid past the year of its release.

What's up this time, Fred? EARTHLING SOCIETY's goal is to offer something different with every album, come what may. The release sheet promises that this one 'takes you into the misty realms of Lancashire witch country', a wild and beautiful landscape without a doubt. Expressions like 'occult, kraut-angst acid, halloween, gothic' are given - so according to that I expected something hard to digest this time. Above all when opening myself to the cover art including old-fashioned letters ... sunset ... dark horizons will appear soon ... uaaahhhh - it's the time of ghosts, scarecrows ... and dark mooded songs to accept here?

Not really! Okay, Fred Laird's vocals need getting used to, are rather acid, slightly modified, echoed ... and some spooky samples respectively effects are appearing occasionally. However, while ignoring the lyrics, I have problems to comprehend this hype ... never mind, what the band offers music-wise is excellent as usual fortunately, simple as that. You can await songs with profoundness in opposite to plain jams, that's for sure. Compared to the forerunner 'Sci-Fi Hi-Fi' Luis Gutarra has joined as a new crew member. His bass guitar goes really funky here and there.

On Dark Horizons for example, basically arranged with a proper straightforward drive, a kick in the ass in best Hawkwind tradition. Somewhere in between though the bass makes the signal for an excellent spacey jamming interlude, including nice organ input and wonderful soaring guitar walls. Vocals sound close to Native American chanting here. Overall an extraordinary composition in my humble opinion. The title track is the shortest piece on this occasion, designated for the kick-off - ambient, based on sonar synths, very melancholic. Even country and folk impressions appear futhermore, the repetitive The Halloween Tree resembles a krautrock atmosphere with oriental touch and acid guitars, reminding me of Amon Düül 2 in some way.

The longest track Child Of The Harvest comes like another shooting star - an opulent outfit, very entertaining song structure, even with some sing along opportunity plus cool saxophone.and nice mellotron/organ contributions by Joe Orban. Music fans who are keen on unlimited, well thought out psych/space stuff should grasp firmly here. EARTHLING SOCIETY and 4 Zero Records surely can take a pride in offering such a new release spiked with enjoyable songs all over.

What an ambitious approach ... 'with their new album EARTHLING SOCIETY have tried to fly higher than pilots have flown' announces their label 4ZERO Records. Well - this might be provided with a funny wink I assume but is expressing an iota of truth at least! The band is back on a spaceship now after the more earthbound cruise through acid psych/folk territories with the predecessor album 'Beauty And The Beast'. What stays is this special sense of melody and the intriguing compositional skills which shows them acting far away from any plain jamming attitude.

Mastermind Fred Laird has formed a modified, well-conditioned crew for the lift-off towards new territories. Keyboardist Joe Orban is back again and responsible for the mellow synthesizer additions all over. Longtime bass player David Fyall is missing this time and substituted by Steve Roberts who cares for the music's solid, mainly grooving fundament along with drummer Jon Blacow. You can detect lots of echoing and heavy psych guitars, distinctive for the space rock genre, besides Laird's vocals which are often appearing slightly modified by diverse effects.

The title song is immediately proving the band's trademark when they are blending catchy as well as way out experimental moments. Groove and melody are really charming where Laird's voice is representing the transition to the weird distorted elements. Tempel Ov Flaming Youth equally carries two faces. The wonderful spacey floating intro makes out an album highlight. After a while though the band changes to a stronger behaviour, even a little bit Hawkwind adopted at the end. And then the tricky EA1729 follows, a damned rocking instrumental thing, gripping, covering an enormous stylistical bandwith and a perfect interaction amongst the musicians. A hot favourite the more I listen to the album.

The acoustic guitar led The Lantern sounds like a retrospect to their former acid psych times where the mellow A Future Dream comes more Pink Floyd/Eloy tinged additionally decorated with nice piano impressions. 'Can you feel the evil of America?' E.V.I.L.U.S.A - the song might be used as a global political statement or is especially referring to the dark side of America's 1960s. Anyhow - here we have a fantastic 20 minutes epic which holds a distinctive neo progressive touch among other things which will please Pendragon fans as well for example.

EARTHLING SOCIETY are hard to predict by all means - therefore it's worth it to wait for every new album. They have reached high altitudes once again in 2009. Offering atmospheric spacey songs provided with a peculiar charm 'Sci-Fi Hi-Fi' is another entertaining piece of work which I can recommend without thought.

'Beauty And The Beast' has a weird opening like playing an excerpt of a horror movie soundtrack. The intro of Drowned World immediately gives the listener the right impression what can be expected from this album: surprise, surprise - quite far away from their familiar origin. And indeed - guitarist Fred Laird announces 'a farewell to our more obvious space rock leanings' noted in the release sheet from their new label 4 ZERO Records.

Okay - now go for it! The song later glides into an industrial repetitive direction which reminds of some wellknown krautrock bands and provides a mysterious mood with the support of theremin. Candlemass instead developes to a Stones stimulated and vocal focused blues track - a psychedelic guitar outro added though which you will never hear from Ron Wood or Keith Richards I assume. This might be nearly enough for trying to describe the album's stylistical boundaries. But another eight songs are waiting for you.

Tenement Song moves nearer to the familiar EARTHLING SOCIETY sound - spaced out vocals with hall effects, acoustic guitars, birds twittering - in short: back to the hippie flower power 60/70s. Mellow keyboards are initiating the next relaxed song Sundropped which reminds me of Tears For Fears - only being on the 'wrong' path because drifting into psychedelia. Probably this song has the most popular vibe. The next untitled piece is something special - asian flavoured with mandolin, chirping synths, tribal drums finally ending into a fantastic guitar solo. The melodic A Modest Flower entertains for singing along and is proving Fred Laird a fine vocalist.

The same with the mellotron infected The Moonlit Road featuring Mick Hale on flute and the last two songs can be treated as the album's highlight. Valerie A Tyden Divu starts and ends with heavy hallucinatory impressions. But you will also detect a catchy melody and charming synth and guitar solos. Acid folk I would say. The instruments are spinning a fine mellow web - yeah! - impressing songwriting! Last song ist the synthesizer drenched A Playground Mistery - trippy trance alike, gliding, provided with percussion otherwise known from typical triphop/dub productions. After a time-out of silence for two minutes an electronical hidden part appears sounding like deformed circulating fairground music.

'Beauty And The Beast' turns to another direction, less space rocking and more acid psychedelic laid back. Probably not unfamiliar for EARTHLING SOCIETY fans because all the four albums they released until today are differing. And this musical orientation may bring them new popularity. Superficially, at a first glance, this sounds more popular but after taking enough time to explore all the details which are buried in the songs I come to the conclusion that this is a new big hit in any case - lovely! The band is offering matured vocal dominated songs, well-provided with a wide range of instruments and combining weird elements with wonderful melodic parts. An album which I come back to for sure (for to recover new impressions) - 4.5 stars!