Quickspace
Quickspace
[Kitty Kitty/Slash]
Rating: 7.6
This is one of those albums that reminds you of that first sip of
Odwalla: though the ingredients are familiar (in the case of Quickspace,
guitar, organ, bass and drums) you can't get over how fresh it tastes.
Quickspace leader Tom Cullinan (formerly of Th' Faith Healers) says that
"The idea is to make something that grabs you the first time, but stands
up to repeated listening." He achieves this by melding a distinctive,
sparse production style with daringly repetitious melodies that bounce
like a Spalding. And though half the songs clock in at over seven
minutes, they (mostly) don't drag; Quickspace create a groove, settle in
and explore.
So what are they like, you ask? Well, the retro cover art and conspicuous
Moog make Stereolab the obvious comparison, but Quickspace are less
kitchy and more guitar-driven, with several tracks revealing a bit of
American lo-fi influence. The term "Krautrock" has some nasty derogatory
connotations, so let's call this "Goddamn- Gerry- Bastards" Rock. But you
know, like, the U.K. version. I kid you. This is simply pop music, but
pop music done well. Vocals are buried and unintelligible (which
was a good call, as neither Cullinan nor Nina Pascale could carry a tune with a backloader), reverb is heavy, and the overall feel is catchy and atmospheric in the
way the British do best.
-Mark Richard-San