Reviews (page 3 of 7)
It's alright. I think I'd like it better if I was listening to it high rather than at work!
uhhh it was weird but not in a bad way. better for ambient listening imo, not that exciting but i did like the psychedelic vibes more than i thought i would
Never listened. Expectations: Mid - Verdict: Good - Honey is a cool spacey opener, while Come Down Softly To My Soul is more grounded. I like the slow build of How Does it Feel. Revolution is far more direct than anything else so far. Let Me Down Gently is a great hum of sound. Suicide is a great jam. Pretty good album.
I've never heard of Spacemen 3 before, and I'm pretty sure I've never heard anything from this album outside of "Revolution" (which in turn sounds nothing like the rest of the album), so I'm glad to have the exposure. And the opening minute of the opening track "Honey" got my hopes up for an interesting late 80s sound, only to be somewhat disappointed by the very generic-sounding and indistinguishable sounds of (early) shoegaze-y music that followed (and followed), with only a few tantalizing departures in the Repo-Man-esque "Revolution" and "Lord can you hear me" (I guess "Suicide" was also a departure, but not one I wish I'd experienced). Not really my thing, but it seems like a well-done album, and I'm impressed to read that this album's sound is nothing like their earlier albums, and you can definitely hear the genesis of Madchester-like/rave-like sounds in a variety of tracks.
enjoyed their trance-like sound but mostly as music to work by
It is catchy and influential but not a banger for me.
Light 3
That screeching guitar track is an immediate point reduction for me, otherwise this was a somewhat enjoyable atmospheric background album
It was ok, that suicide song sure did drag on and on and on though. Sort of a blend of EDM and rock.
Inoffensive and unremarkable
Psychedelic
I enjoyed this, was psychy fun. At times the long tracks felt like they built to not much pay off but i think it was a good album, a bit different.
I did in enjoy this! Does really go anywhere but for what it is its a good album
Keep forgetting to rate nowadays Was alright
zum zum bzz bzz
Rant: Any time individual musicians in a band change their name to something like Sonic Boom (I'm looking at YOU U2!) and isn't a solo act or a collective project, I feel they need to be ridiculed by a pack of drunk Aussies... and no, there's no way these people are given these nicknames by reliable outside sources like friends or family, and yes I think there's plenty of dumb names from the punk scene that people gave themselves to sound "cool". Fucking U2, still trying to get that damn album off my computer to no avail! The album was pretty OK actually.
Pleasant enough listen however far too repetitive and boring. Serious editing required on some of the tracks
I was entering in this album with apprehension since the cover is horrendous and I never heard of Spacemen 3. And it was quite an astonishment that in fact I liked this album. Come Down Softly to my Soul has this kind of eerie vibe that sounds much more modern than 1989. But it also reminded me of Neu! or other krautrock songs. It might not be a great album, but it's worth a listen. Favorite Songs: Come Down Softly to my Sould ;
Eh, nice to listen to in the background, guess you have to be on drugs to fully appreciate the sound
While I don’t dislike any of the sounds on this, it’s just boring. Nothing here to really grab me, this is just alright.
Showing its age. Hasn’t really stood the test of time but still listenable
At least give this one a listen, Honey. How Does It Feel?
I enjoyed this. It was easy to listen to - which is not intended to sound dismissive!
High 3 - v good background
They have a cool sound but Jason Pierce’s projects bore me a bit over the course of a full album
Late 80s rock. Psych rock, pretty spacey. Loads of synths, floating guitars ans trippy vocals. Good for background while getting high.
i'm a pretty big fan of psychedelic music in general so i was a little excited to hear this one, which i was unfamiliar with. the best i can say is this is a "sonic textures" album, which is to say, it has some interesting sounds, but not a lot of substance. quite frankly, there are sections of this album that are downright boring - long stretches of just noise with repetative rhythms. maybe it's more interesting if you are stoned, but i am sitting in my office completely sober, so this does almost nothing for me. and unfortunately, i can't help but think of several psychedelic revival bands and albums not on this list that did sonic textures in a similar manner that also had interesting songs, that i think deserve this slot more than this album.
Very enjoyable.
You need to be in the right mood for this album. It's quite chill and psychedelic. I did enjoy it, but things did drag here and there. 3.3/5.
Can really hear the roots of Spiritualized in this one.
Reminded me a lot of Eno. I dig it.
Pretty good
This was an interesting album, didn't know anything about them but it was decent
Pink Floyd like
Very low key alt rock
Was a 4, worked it's way to a 3. Seems innovative for '89. Weirdest music to clean your bathroom to, though. 3/5
Es geht so, aber bestimmt nicht Weltklasse.
I enjoyed the ethereal sound of this album, but I think it's pretty forgettable music for me.
Totally fine. I'm sure it influenced a lot of artists in the 90s
7/10
3 stars
"Taking drugs to make music to taking drugs to* Jag minns inte om det var till Spacemen 3 eller någon av Spiritualizeds tidigaste skivor som Jason kom med programförklaringen. Men när man lyssnar på Playing with fire är det svårt att inte förstå exakt vad han menar. Kraut, Stooges- garagerock i en skön förening. Jag gillar Spiritualizrd bättre men S3 har absolut en massa rätt oxå. Jason hade redan här en bra känsla för balansen mellan det repetativa och framåtrörelse, mellan stök och skönhet. Ingen större idé att prata låtar, det handlar mer om ett tillstånd som S3 skapar. Men jag nämner ändå Lord can you hear me, som Jason återanvände i Spiritualized 13 år senare i en fantastisk version. Den är magnifik redan här En habil trea som skvallrar om framtida mästerverk
Väldigt snyggt sound. Men lite brist på låtar, är min känsla. Ungefär samma fenomen som brukar råda för efterföljaren Spiritualized. Med några fler lyssningar tror jag kanske det kan växa. Avslutande Lord can you hear me är en höjdare.
I'm finding this to be really helpful background music while I let my mind do other things. It has the right balance of forward momentum to not let me completely zone out and repetition to allow for just that.
Kinda fun psychedelic journey. Enjoyable and might give it another listen in the future
I dig the vibe but this is a little too artsy for a good jam.
Hypnotic, hazy and good for staring out the window of a moving train. Presumably would be even better on opioids. The Pierce compositions hold up better than those by Kember due to their superior melodicism and reliance on trad and spiritual(ized) forms, but the best of all is the co-write 'Suicide' and the two supplementary live tracks where the band becomes a fully realized English heroin jam band.
I'm a Spiritualized fan but never got into Spacemen 3. I have definitely heard this before but tbh I didn't remember it at all. I enjoyed it, in parts sounding like rough sketches of later Spiritualized tracks and other times sounding like a fully formed unit of its own, especially on the more shoegazey material like Suicide. I need to go back and listen to their other records again
Favorite Track: Lord Can You Hear Me
Had some moments, long drones dragged it down
Dissociating a little bit during this
yawn. Redeeming feature was it wasn't at all distracting for studying
Each song sounds like the long winded intro to an indie track repeated 22 times
Mye kult men også litt mye kjedelig. Burde sikkert være stein for å digge det her
Pfoe die is lang, wél een goeie mix met bangers en rustige nummers
3-
3.6 Roentgen
Alguna canción está bien, pero el conjunto es irregular.
This one is like eating ice cream, but with a few flavors, and they don't have much in common. You take a few licks and then bam, you have a whole new flavor profile assaulting your taste buds. It's disorienting, but then you get into some citrus or dark chocolate, and it works out fine.
...and then it just sort of ended. No good bye. Unless I missed something. Which happens. And now I really do miss something. What? I miss something. So more of a slow fade? Too slow. It's been long enough that I remember the forgetting. Apparently it takes half as long as a relationship lasted to get over it. So it's just a simple math equation? If that's how you want to digest that factoid - yes - a math equation. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. 1+1. 1-1. Yo. What? Snap out of it. I could that all day. Like a certain album? Exactly. But in the end what do you have? You said it...
Classic 3 star fare. The problem with this is not that it’s a bad album but that it’s not spiritualized, specifically we’re floating in space. But it is close enough that it reminds you how good that album is.
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Lying In Bed
mostly meh 2.75/5
Hypnosisoivaa kampetta. Psykedeelistä rokkia, mutta suurin osa kappaleista tosi ambienttia. Jos kuuntelee liian tarkkaan voi käydä ehkä vähän liian junnaavaks. Esim Suicide on 11min samaa sahaamista. Ihan jännä kummiskin. Parhaat: Let Me Down Gently, How Does It Feel
Very spacey at times.. to be expected though
Never heard of this lot before. First impressions were that they were a band which could open for a Sigur Ros concert and they reminded me of Spiritualized. Wiki told me they were indeed an early incarnation of Spiritualized. Wiki also told me of the band’s drug use which explains a lot about where this music comes from. Despite of never having anything stronger than codeine in my life I did find this album strangely good. Rather like the two Spiritualized albums on this list, which I went out and bought on the strength of being presented with them here, I can see me doing likewise with this one. Don’t think this album was ever aimed at the likes of me but the fact that I nevertheless found it entertaining says a lot about its musical value. 3/5 18/2/26
Enjoyable
Cool album, nothing crazy. 6.3/10
69/100. This record plays around with some really interesting textures and leans heavily into that hazy, psychedelic vibe. I can definitely appreciate what they’re doing here, and it’s impressive in its own way. It just doesn’t fully match my personal psychedelic taste. A solid listen with plenty to admire.
The penultimate track, Suicide, was a great shoe gaze droner, for sure the highlight of the album. And, to my surprise, the least popular according to Spotify stats. The majority of the stars I'm offering are for this track alone; the rest didn't speak to me that much.
"Another band from Rugby, Warwickshire?" puzzled this Warwickshire girl - and then I realised it was the same fella I'd learned of when I was reviewing Spiritualized. I was no more aware of his previous band, Spacemen 3, than I had been of Spiritualized, I'm afraid, despite the local connection. I found most of this album a bit insipid and inward-looking. I guess the ending of Revolution was cool, and might knock your socks off at full volume? Suicide, too, might work well live.* But on a first, casual listen, none of the songs really went anywhere**, and I strongly disliked the vocals. As I couldn't get into it, I found it mainly self-indulgent and, apart from a few pleasant electronic noises and a bit of distortion, I'm sorry to say most of it bored me. *Yes, there was a live version of Suicide on the Spotify album. But I stuck to the original nine tracks. This project is big, people. **The best track, I thought, was Lord, Can You Hear Me. Listening to that was the most involved that I felt: simple arpeggios chords with low-key distorted accompaniment. Affecting, and earned this an extra star.
I didn't mind these chill vibes today, and I like that a couple of them get really loud and distorted to break up the monotony. Nothing groundbreaking here, but I didn't hate it.
The heavy focus on the atmosphere and the ethereal bliss creates such a specific picture. There’s a lot of power that can’t be found in the noise and the intense reverb. I enjoy the richness of these wall of sounds throughout the album. I do wish there were more depth to the theme though. I feel like the live experience would create this depth that I feel like is missing, but it’s not translated fully through the studio recording. A track like Suicide exemplifies this, with there being noticeable changes, but the impact feels softer than what you would expect. I truly don’t think this would be the case when listening to the thickness of the guitar in person. Faves: Revolution, So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears), Honey, Come Down Softly to My Soul
"Come Down Softly to My Soul" had a nice, mellow vibe to it. "How Does it Feel" was trippy. It was a little annoying at first, but morphed into something very listenable. "I Believe It" was repetitive, but in a way that I liked. I really liked Doors keyboard sound along with the vocals with the Jim Morrison vibes. "Revolution" was a punk(ish) distortiongasm. "Lord, Can You Hear Me" was just a nice song all the way around. The rest of the tracks were a frigging mess, but that's true of many albums on this list.
Might be worth another listen
Tremendo viajezote. Muy buen disco, me costo terminarlo, no por la música en si, sino por el tiempo que dura. Fueron 2 horas pero divididas en varias sesiones. Sobre la música, me gusto mucho el estilo, me gusta mucho la música instrumental y sobre todo el progresivo. El ambiente psicodélico le da un toque genial a cada pista. La homorritmia de todo el disco hace que no se sienta tan pesado lo cual creo es un acierto teniendo en cuenta, por el contrario, la polifonía en casi todas las canciones. Me gusta mucho como experimentan con distintos estilos, son capas y capas de texturas con cada instrumento y sonido que van agregando. La carencia de vocales en el disco hace que cuando se hacen presente destaquen muy bien y para mí hace toda la diferencia. Buen disco.
6/10
I remember hearing OF Spaceman 3 but don't remember what context or anything about them. And their Wikipedia page doesn't give me any clues. A lot of this kind of reminds me of some of the spacier stuff that Corgan did with the old Pumpkins. "Revolution" reminded me of some of Wilco's noisier stuff, and also a little bit of Ministry. This was interesting. Didn't love it but kind of liked it. I could have seen myself listening to this in college if I had known about it.
average
Interesting. Moody. Psychedelic. Not for me.
It's odd? Feels like lots of half finished ideas thrown together but it's oddly hypnotic. 2h is a long time but Suicide isn't awful.
Don't have this one, some cool sounds but a lot of tracks feels unfinished. A lot of potential but doesn't pay off a lot. I've heard better from them. 3 Heard before? Some Owned: No: 43/172(24%) Will I get. No
Такий психоделік рок я не дуже люблю, причому колись мені подобалось, але я розлюбив.
I don't know what genre this lands in - not psychedelic rock. Was actually pretty good, but there was not enough material to warrant 2 discs
Zone out on shrooms music
why is this involved when you have motherfucking my bloody valentine. 3/5
Before listening: never heard of this one. I see on Spotify this is a lengthy one (consisting of two discs with a run time a minute short of two hours.) not sure if I will make it fully through but I will give the first disc a complete listen before I decide on the second. During Listening: Sounds far out and spiritually charged. I’m digging the intro but Im not sure if I would want to listen to this a second time. I feel like I’m sitting in one of those overpriced “light show” exhibits watching strobing lights on a 10 minute loop. I could totally see someone catching a vibe… if they were on DMT. But all jokes aside, I do kinda fuck with this album. If I was having an emotional breakdown or an existential crisis, this would be a great grounding album. I feel like every song is edging me like please let’s go somewhere with the amazing lead ups.
Primal Scream before Primal Scream
Interesting album. I enjoyed it. Lots of cool ambient vibes.
Spacey and cool, enjoyed it but a little indulgent and probably won't give it a ton more listens
Someone got a delay pedal for Christmas!
Made me sleepy while driving, might try again while high
Enjoy the drones. Definitely my jam—can’t say there’s anything revolutionary or mind blowing going on
The last song was such an amazing payoff for an album that came close to doing some really cool things but instead seemed content to fade out before making the leap. It was relaxing and enjoyable overall, but I don’t see myself coming back to it again.
Heavy on build-up but short on payoff, this album makes me long for what it's missing. The melodies here are very pleasant, and the patterns are busy enough that it never gets boring. When the guitars get louder and noisier, like on "Revolution" and "Suicide," the album is at its strongest. But those songs, like all of them, lack variation, be it subtle evolutions, a climax, or a denouement. That last one is most lacking from "Revolution," which has a hypnotic groove but an incredibly abrupt ending. I prefer this formless psychedelia to psychedelic rock, but there's just not enough to make the tracks feel satisfying. The quieter tracks especially suffer from this. I can hear the influence this had on other acts - the softer, almost gospel tracks remind me of Primal Scream's "Damaged" - but those acts provided more than the skeletal guitars and organ found here.
177/1001 Spacemen 3 - Playing with Fire Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ This is quite a frustrating listen, as there is a lot on here that I do like from a sonic point of view, but so many of the tracks I'm thinking where is this actually going?
To me, this is what the Velvet Underground would sound like if they started up around the dawn of shoegaze. I don't know if that is a totally apt comparison, but the attitude is certainly there. Tracks like "How Does It Feel" or "Let Me Down Gently" or "So Hot" point toward Pierce's work in his next project, Spiritualized. It has the same slow burn and repetitious backbone, though without the ambient space and effects filling in the sound. Almost like a Spiritualized demo tape. It's okay, and it's interesting, but not a sound I'd come back to very often as it goes a little too far to lull me to sleep. I think "Lord Can You Hear Me" is the closest to the Spiritualized sound and serves as a perfect closing track. I'm more interested in the sound and energy of tracks like "Revolution" or "Suicide". The fuzzed out guitar textures are great throughout the album. I just don't know if I'm as into the songs they serve. The slow songs are almost *too* slow in comparison to the faster songs, and the best song, "Revolution", feels out of place. With that said, I'd say the album as a whole is uneven, but there are a ton of great songs here.
I bet I would’ve loved this had someone I could see live today released it
Not a bad kind of spacy, psychedelic record, but most of the songs ultimately didn't really go anywhere except Revolution that I thought had a good build-up. I've heard Spiritualized before, so was kind of cool to hear their origin.
I'm glad I read the Wiki page - saved me listening to them for two hours.
This is better than that MC5 album for sure. There's some decent psychedlic rock songs here.
Nice background music that could be revisited 3.5
solid Enjoyable
could have loved this
No es mi rollo pero no está mal
Decent background music
This album is a good one for sleeping on the plane to. Wouldn’t really revisit.
Ein Hippie-E-Gitarren-Synth gewichse vom feinsten. Für Fans von unregelmäßiger, psychedelischer Radiowellenartigerbeschallung mit eingestreuselten drum Beats und pseudo poetischem Männergejaule, ist dieses Album zu empfehlen. Sehr repititiv im Sound. Dennoch Abwechslungsreich genug in den Songs, dass man es sich durchaus bei ner Hochschultrompeten Session geben kann.
Nothing wrong with this, but unlikely to come back anytime soon
Wanted to enjoy this more than I did being a fan of Spiritulised.
Nice and droney, slow and druggy. Suicide is the obvious high point. Uninteresting singing and no emotional content barrs it from four star territory.
it's ok, i definely understand why i never heard of it before
Ooooo I can see this one not being super popular around here. It’s too sparse, too bare, too repetitive. I mean- there are almost no drums in the first few tracks…… Such a strange record. Minimalist shoegaze. I don’t know if it works for me. I like a lot of the ideas it just comes off as half-baked a lot of the time. This is a solid THREE STARS
Some nice spacey and psychedelic atmospheres.
A couple of tracks are too long. Otherwise fine. Can't imagine why it's in the book though.
Not enough acid at my 9-5 to enjoy this while working through Excel and my email... Im sure theres a reason this is on the list but its a hard one for me to jive with on a deeper level after only one listen.
Entertaining. Could have this in the warehouse while working no problem.
It seems like this is turning out to be a very shoegazey week. I had My Bloody Valentine a couple of days ago and now Spacemen 3. I've heard of this band for many years but never really got into them. As shoegaze goes, this probably isn't the most impressive example if I'm being honest. It lacks the intensity of My Bloody Valentine and it's not as unique as bands like Slowdive, Seefeel or the Jesus and Mary Chain. Unfortunately, it's a genre that's kind of easy to replicate and can produce some ok albums like this one. But I just didn't hear anything that helps it stand out among the crowd.
Some of it incredible, suicide was just annoying
Better than I expected - but falling short of worthwhile listening!
Started off pretty strong, spacey but there was some variety, and then it got too drawn out. Probably a 2.5, but I'll give it a bump since this wasn't on my radar at all.
Honestly....I know this is kind of boring and not very complicated, but I didn't hate it. It's not annoying. It flows nicely. It's like psychedelic elevator music.
I thought it sounded like Spiritualised but then I realised. It's fine in most cases but doesn't quite enthral like their next iteration.
Can be a bit noisy, but it's a pretty nice experience.
One really good song (lord can you help me) and a bunch of good-to-meh songs. Not really my thang. But moody, atmospheric, and interesting. Because of the lord, 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
Kinda cool. Kinda sleepy.
Enjoyable. Psychedelic in a very drone-y way.
I liked this. Thought it was really good. But none of the songs seemed to go anywhere. 3.5
No idea what to expect here. Honey - 6/10. Interesting intro. Not a bad song. Experimental Euro-pop isn't my usual taste, but I can appreciate the work of it. Come Down Softly To My Soul - 6/10. Solid work here. Mix is a little light on vocals, but interesting music. Good composition. How Does It Feel - 4/10. Good, if a bit repetitive, music with poetry spoken over it. Has a little bit of pretentious, coffeehouse feel (but with better music). I Believe It - 5/10. Weird, not bad, just weird. Revolution - 5/10. A very different feel from what has come before on this album right from the top. Again, not bad, but definitely different. Let Me Down Gently - 5/10. Weird. Not bad, just weird. So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears) - 6/10. Something of an old-school, simple feel. I like it. Suicide - 5/10. Disconcerting at the beginning, but that fits with the track title. Strange jam, but not bad. Lord Can You Hear Me? - 7/10. A moment of peace which is definitely needed after that last song. Che - 7/10. Reminiscent of the better psychadelic rock of the last 60's and early 70's. May The Circle Be Unbroken - 6/10. An interesting take on the Gospel classic. Flying Burrito Brothers, THIS is how you do Hippie Gospel music. Overall Rating - 2.82/5. This whole album sounds like music I'd hear in Earthbound.
not really my thing but good background music and kind of good for what it was?
it was chill or w/e
If this was given to me back in my weed/jam band/psychedelic rock days, it would have been my jam. Good stuff, just not a style I listen to nowadays.
Perfect Prescription is better but parts of this are wonderful too.
3.5
Some cool Kraftwerk-y sounding stuff, but other than that it was kind of forgettable.
Really enjoyed "revolution", "suicide" and "Lord Can you Hear Me" -- the rest is kind of just... noise?
Interesting, weird album
Some might say “who wants to listen to the same riff with minimal variation for 11 minutes?” Me. I do. And it was great. Album as a whole was good but not great. Highlights were Revolution, Suicide, and Lord Can You Hear Me.
spacemen 3/5
Album 31/1001 Not in the mood for 2hrs of space rock right now so will return at a later... ⚠️No score yet ⚠️
2.9/5 english druggie music far out
Good for being drunk on a house party and wanting to chill
This was fine, not the most offensive 80s production used.
Lots of space and atmosphere. You gotta be in the right mood for this. It’s sounds nice but it’s background music at best.
Best oke. Op een gegeven moment wordt je er wel een beetje tureluurs van. Vooral tijdens het ellenlange Suicide. Maar tegelijkertijd voelt dit wel als een grensverleggende voorloper van de Shoegaze en Dreampop. En uiteindelijk is natuurlijk ook één van dit duo verder gegaan als Spiritualized, ook zo'n cultgroep in dit genre. Dus ik kon dit wel waarderen. Het heeft het één en ander in gang gezet wat heeft gezorgd voor één van mijn favoriete genres. 6,5/10 Het was teveel één roes om losse nummers te beoordelen als highlight.
Yeah, psychedelic rock isn't really my genre. This isn't bad but it's clearly for an audience I'm not in. The songs either sound weird for my tastes, or they start off good and then drag on too long. For psych rock and space rock fans, this is a pretty good one. For anyone else, it won't change your mind.
I didn't expect the album to be that good. I enjoyed it while listening, but kind of forgot what it sounded like.
A bit droney but I didn't mind it. I wish there was more drums on here but this kind of grew on me the deeper I got into the album. Decent.
The 9 song original album is pretty good. I definitely didn’t need the 2 disc set version, or two versions of Suicide. I like the idea of the homage to Suicide more than I like the results. I have listened to and like a couple of Spiritualized albums but it was fun to hear this and how that band grew out of the shoegaze scene. I like a fair amount of the genre, so this was an easy sell to me, but not sure how much I’m ever going back. Really liked Lord Can You Hear Me.
It’s not a bad album, but personally, I’ve always felt that Spacemen 3 might be a bit overrated. My biggest issue is that half or more of their tracks tend to just idle without really going anywhere. They set a mood, but don’t always build on it or evolve. This is one of those bands I really want to enjoy more than I actually do. The aesthetics are there, and I get the appeal, but it doesn’t fully land for me.
Low to mid 3, some cool sounds, but man is it bloated
I didn't hate it as much as I expected to.
Much too long. If it was only the originals and didn’t include all the remixes and other versions it might get more stars.
Towed the line between hypnotic and boring. I guess hypnotic won out.
This was an interesting listen. I’d never listened to Spacemen 3 or this album before. I found some of the songs to be repetitive and carry on for too long but I enjoyed the psychedelic and space rock vibes of this album. I only listened to Side A because I didn’t feel like listening to demos and alternative mixes of these songs. I’m not sure if I would listen to this again in the future.
i don't think this sound is quite for me, unfortunately. i wouldn't mind if this happened to play in the background of whatever i was doing, it's not "bad" music by any means. it's just not an album i would personally seek out again for the fun of it i will admit, the droning notes throughout have a very calming effect on me. maybe i could play some tracks in the background at night to help me fall asleep on occasion since i can at least find something good in listening to this overall, i think this album is at least deserving of a 3
Ok so first thing, don't listen to the 2 hour version of this on Spotify. The original album clocks in at like 45 min and that's way better. It seems like it's unfair to just listen to this one once, I didn't appreciate it enough the first time through. It's not great by any means but I judged it too harshly at first. I don't think I would really ever go back to it, maybe if I was in a certain mood. I don't think everyone really needs to hear this, and it doesn't seem like a staple in any sense, but I was glad to have heard it today. Some cool things going on but there is a lot of trash there too. 2.75/5
Long segments of repeated chords and tones. Very poetry jam feeling album.
Fine
Das dritte Album der englischen Band Spacemen 3 wurde 1989 in den VHF Studios in Rugby aufgenommen. Hinter dem Projekt standen die beiden Briten Peter Kember (Sonic Boom) und Jason Pierce (J Spaceman), deren unterschiedliche musikalische Ansätze die Platte prägen. Stilistisch bewegt sich das Werk zwischen Neo-Psychedelia, Drone, Gospel-Einflüssen und minimalistischer Rock-Ästhetik. Bekannte Stücke wie „Revolution“, „How Does It Feel?“, „Suicide“ oder „Lord Can You Hear Me?“ zeigen die Bandbreite: von rauer, fast aggressiver Energie bis zu introspektiven, beinahe spirituellen Momenten. Die kontrastreiche Struktur macht das Album zu einem Wendepunkt in der Entwicklung von Spacemen 3 und einem Vorboten für Pierce’ späteres Projekt Spiritualized. Insgesamt ist „Playing With Fire“ ein vielschichtiges Werk, das bis heute als markanter Höhepunkt ihres Schaffens gilt – kompromisslos, experimentell und zugleich überraschend zugänglich.
cool ambiance
"This is a good record... is it great? no... but is it music? yes... is it pleasant? for the most part... the thing about "shoe gaze" music is the droning... it is groove music... but not in a booty shaking way... more cerebral... "Revolution" is the one track that veers off into hard rock... the album ends with "Lord Can You Hear Me" which is a soft song that reminds me of something George Harrison might have done... to my ear, this album is good background music... it doesn't grate... it is soothing... and it is good... Three stars..."
Bit of a yawn-fest, the kind of live music I just want to end, snippets of interesting guitar distortion here & there, looking like a 3 ⭐⭐⭐
Ok
nice
Not bad
Dreamy and kinda grippy. But it seemed a little aimless at points.
kinda boring at points
An album that on the surface I thought I would enjoy more because of the genres and I also like Spiritualized. Not to say I didn't enjoy it at all this album is good but it's not something I think I would come back to often 7/10 Favourite: Revolution Least Favourite: How Does it Feel
Kinda like an antagonistic sound bath. Not necessarily in a bad way.
Spacemen 3 stars
3.5
Interesting does get a little monotonous
The kind of psychadelic space rock I like. I had heard Lord Can You Hear Me before and liked it a lot. I like the rest of this album less, but I still like it. Long instrumental tracks, a bit psych, a bit Krautrock, a bit space rock. Good stuff, and amazing it's from 1989 and not 2000-something. A band for me to listen to more.
Not my kind of music, but some nice ideas
helvíti fínt. svipar mjög til spiritu, er hrifinn af flestu sem j. geimfari tekur sér fyrir hendur. aðra umferð. 3,5.
Good tunes but overall pretty boring
Not my typical Jam. But I didn't hate it. I think in the right headspace this can be a real trip. However, listening to it while at work was not the right space. What I really want to know is what happened to Spacemens 1 and 2? These questions MUST be answered! Revolution was a pretty good track, like a friend said in his review, a very "Monster Magnet" style track. Anyways I'll bump it up from the 2 I think it is now because I know I'd like it better at home.
I enjoyed this quite a bit, good plane music. 3 verging on 4.
enjoyed! felt the songs often went too long but very fascinating.
kykedeelistä housuihin. homg pliis älä katso älä katso mulla on housuissa kykedeelistä.. omg pulllottaa niin kovaa mun housut ihan kykedeeliä täynnä eiiii eiiiiii >_< miks painaa niin paljon kalsariit miks miks painaa kalsarit. koska kykdeneelinen. semmonen totasnoin fiilis tuli tästä albumista .. jooh.. pari kuukautta vielä vellotaan näiden läpi mutta vois kyllä jo ohi ohi tuotasnoin mennä tämä osa tämä elämän rojekti ihan ihan kiva oli mutt a nyt ois varmaan sen lopun aaton aika että annetaas näille taikonauteille se kolmen kolmen tähdistön arvostelu tähän paikkaan ja näin voimme siirtyä seuraavan albumin pariing how does it feel
Not a bad listen. Never heard of them becore
Not all of it works for me, but some good stuff on here.
Fine but a lot of other stuff of this genre out there.
Some nice ideas. Starts well. Loses momentum. Too many loops. Singer Sometimes sound like a chilled version of The Strokes
It's kinda in some weird area between Kraftwerk and Tortoise and noise. I could see this being great in the right mood, but it was not really my jam today. Still pretty interesting, and I could see coming back to it.
J'ai aimé beaucoup certains trucs (Revolution, Suicide, Lordncan you hear me) qui ont un aspect transe très cool. D'autres tounes assez boring, comme Stereolab.
There's definitely something to this album. A distinctness about it. The noisiness coupled with the soft, warm vocals made for a unique blend. There was a contrast of harsh heavy guitar songs with sad, understated melancholy ones. Slightly jarring, but I liked that. It started off quite weak to be honest. The first song Honey was poor quite frankly, and made me wonder whether might expectations about this album were wrong (I thought the album cover looked cool, and had vaguely heard Spacemen 3 were a shoegaze type band). Come Down Softly to my Soul was decent however. Revolution, the first heavy song of the album, got me excited and made me realise there's a bit more going on here than just sad songs. Perhaps in a gloom of foggy depression, the sad songs would really do something for me. Then we got to the B-sides, and I noticed a slight increase in quality. The best song of the album Lord Can you Hear me was a real highlight, and definitely helped improved my impression of the album by the end. Overall, I think the album is interesting; it demonstrates genuine creativity. I wasn't blown away by it, but I'd be interested in hearing it again.
Nahhhh
Det er space, pshycedelic, drone- rock som har inspireret mange shoegaze kunstnere i 90'erne. Det har jo sådan en atmosfærisk og drømmende lyd over sig, men er samtidig sådan lidt noisy. Jeg kunne rigtig godt lide spiritualized så jeg kan naturligvis også lide det her. Men det her virker lidt mere eksperimenterende så det er jo ikke sådan noget jeg ville spille med andre andet end med henblik på at diskutere det. Drone er noget med lange vedvarende toner.
It was ok
Started out strong but some of the songs were a little too loud
Y'know, it's like... I get what they were going for here. This is psychedelic music, but not in the way you'd naturally assume it's supposed to be. It's hardly Jimi Hendrix or, like, The Byrds or whatever. No, this is aiming for psychedelia more in... I suppose you'd call it "the spiritual sense." It's the kind of music you're not really supposed to listen closely to, but more just have on as you sit down cross-legged with your guru and chant "om." Y'know, it's New Age music — that sort of deal. Just with a little more guitar fuzz than... Whatever New Age music normally has. And lemme be clear — y'know, don't get it twisted — I am not the kind of person who'd criticize music for aiming to be wallpaper. It's a valid aim, and I've praised stuff like Brian Eno's MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS and my bloody valentine's LOVELESS for hitting their mark so well. So if Spacemen 3 here wanna do a slightly more rocked-out version of the New Age sound, who am I to judge them? But, mm, I don't know. There was something about the album that was bothering me while it played, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it... Like, what was this doing that I felt like it was actively boring me, versus, say, LOVELESS, where I could just let it fade into the background? I think for me, it was the fact that it too often stayed on one chord for too long. Now, I know a feature of ambient music is that it's not often supposed to be too complex; I don't really expect any of 'em to have complex chord changes or anything. But I think about the best ambient music, and in my head I can hear notes drifting in and out of each other. It moves, it flows... It'd probably be a melody for an actual song if you sped it up enough. I mean, you ever heard that one video that slows down a Justin Bieber song by 800%? That's ambient music. On this album, Spacemen 3 are content to just kinda... Play the same chord over and over again for minutes on end. There are parts where the album feels like it's spinning in place, and willingly at that. I mean, they **can** play something with an interesting line to it; there's a keyboard section in here in particular that I was really into. And, y'know, I also get it: it's supposed to be transcendental. You listen to these singular chords being played endlessly and you ascend into a higher plane of consciousness or whatever. And I'm not even knocking music that plays on a single chord, y'know? But at least those songs have the decency to do stuff **around** that one chord. It's like, jeez, even as wacked out and fuzzed to shit as LOVELESS is, there's still clear chords changes and stuff **happening**. I can jump to any random part of the album, tell what's going on, and get into it. This, though — I doubt I'd be able to, besides maybe some **very** obvious spots. I mean, I don't wanna act like this is all **that** bad. As far as wallpaper goes, there's no doubt uglier varieties out there, for certain. I'unno, this albums just feels like... Beige. Y'know? Plain beige wallpaper covering up white walls. I suppose it's more interesting than just leaving the walls barren, but... It's not exactly all that exciting, now is it? I'll grant this thing a benefit bump because it didn't **offend** me. It'll do the job fine. It's just... You could probably do so much better. Though, hey, this **is** the best album I've ever heard that's called "Playing With Fire." Though it's not like that's a high bar to clear, anyway...
I’m at a slightly generous 3. It’s just a fascinating listen, really. How compelling can you make repetition sound, and how far can you push that luck with your listener until they give up on you? Further more, can you get them back if they ever do give up? I have answers to all of these questions, I think: Can you make repetition sound compelling? Yes, as long as your tracks aren’t too long. This album has a number of tracks that are a bit too long. However, when it’s not that long, some sort of hypnotic vibe washes over, where the brain is listening & engaged, but not actively comprehending, and that’s the sweet spot for making repetition sound compelling. When this album finds that sweet spot, no matter how awkward the soundscape might be (especially proven by “Suicide”), it’s a good spot to be in, as long as you can stay there. Eventually, these tracks do sort of push you away from that sweet spot, but when you’re in it, it’s just… nice. I can’t totally explain how. So, how far can you push that luck with your listener? I’d say about 5 minutes into “How Does It Feel”, honestly. “Honey” is a fine start with some weird vocal effects going that distract heavily from the instrumentation, “Come Down Softly to My Soul” is a solid (though non-evolving and sort of bland) “vibes” track, but it’s “How Does It Feel” that feels like the lowest point of the album, really. It is 8 minutes of our little band here trying really, really hard to find a sweet spot, with a slower drip feed of music than a modern Nintendo service. It is really hard to not feel utterly down on this album after that. “I Believe It” doesn’t help either; same sort of thing as Track 2 where the vibes are there, but just sort of bland. So… when did they get me back? Honestly, just a sonically interesting guitar sound on “Revolution” was the outstretched hand I needed to at least hear them out the rest of the way, and from that point onward, the album settled into something that’s not necessarily “better”, just executed in a far more compelling way. “Let Me Down Gently” gives big Eno vibes, “So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears)” is just a more sonically compelling version of “I Believe It” & “Come Down Softly”, and… boy, let’s talk about “Suicide”. There is not a single world in which that track should have worked. Honestly, it loses its steam right before the end, so in a way, it didn’t really work. Yet, to my ears, it did find that weird, compelling sweet spot. I can’t describe it; it has all the aspects of a repetitive, endless droning mess that I might normally rip on a track for, but for whatever reason… it just clicked. The lead guitar melodies aren’t doing anything special, they’re just layered and slowly evolving in a way that feels like lo-fi white noise, anchored by my own real knock on the track, which is that damn repetitive backing guitar riff. It’s somehow both hypnotic and frustrating at the same time – I don’t know how it worked, and maybe if I weren’t listening with headphones in, I would’ve despised it. However, I liked it. “Lord Can You Hear Me” is nice. Feels sort of Nirvana-y, really. It feels like a nice, calmer endpoint after the 11 minutes of “Suicide”. Honestly, I wish it were a little longer just to let those horns near the end have a little more shine. As a whole package then, it’s a 3. A fascinating listen – it somehow kinda succeeds at what it’s trying to do as a sort of ambient psychedelic/shoegaze album, but the execution is all over the place for the first half of the album. Even once it finally settles into a more compelling spot for the second half, it’s still far from perfect. However, I think I admire it enough to give it a 3, though that’s the ceiling for me. Realistically, I’m probably closer to a 2.5, but I don’t think this is THAT bad to warrant a 2. If someone else does, I wouldn’t blame them though. It’s a strange one, but I think it has a place on the list in its own weird, niche-y way. Good job to Spacemen 3, I guess.
It is a nice listen but there aren't enough strong songs to make it feel essential.
Smooth, relax. Je vais y revenir
Ok mouin.
Feels like a much more mellow Spiritualized. It feels like psych rock but with that shoegaze/atmospheric sound. I liked this but I also felt like some of the songs went on a little too long without a good build up which is something I typically really enjoy in this genre.
It was definitely a vibe, some I enjoyed and some not so much.
Pleasant, but not my thing
Different …would listen again.
Dad- 5 Mom- 3 Mike- NA Lori- 7 Michael- 4 Miles- 8 Cole- NA Avg- 5.4
How Does it Feel" and "Suicide" are outstanding tracks that really showcase what this band does best—spacey atmosphere mixed with Velvet Underground like vocals. The rest of the album feels like it’s chasing the high of those two songs but doesn’t quite get there. Still, it’s a solid listen overall. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars.
While it can get a bit repetitive when they are in a groove the record works jn the trippy spacey way intended.
Spacey and weird. Not a bad listen.
Not necessarily an every day or every situation album, but it's pretty, spacey, and I found myself zoning out listening to it, in a good way. I'll listen to this one again, but probably not soon.
Interesting far-out psychedelic rock/space rock/shoegzae album from the late 1980s. I like these genres though this album was a bit more challenging to listen to, as most of the songs were very spacey, with no clear direction. I enjoyed it but I think I need more listens to understand this album better. 3/3.5 out of 5.
3 stars for 3 spacemen
It's just the 1st 9 tracks. It's got some long loopy droney jams & as a whole, it's alright. Kinda annoying how this site always selects the whole deluxe, multi disc version & not just the core album.
Don't know what to expect here, never heard of these guys. It's a 2 hr album! Oh wow, this is an 80s album. I thought it was 90s. I did not get through the whole thing :/
Some of these songs are barely songs at all; in fact, some feel like they would get blown apart by a stiff breeze. A lot of it feels like “Stereolab on acid” or “Jesus and Mary Chain on quaaludes.” Some songs are as dull as that suggests, but there are a couple, such as “I Believe It” and “Suicide” that are pretty damn solid and forward looking.
Their 3rd album. Psychedelic/ Electronic. Many influences here, including Lou Reed, Pink Floyd and Joy Division plus more. Lyrically poetic, spiritual and melancholic. My favourite track was Suicide, long brooding. It's hard to say much more. The album is a whole, not singles. I liked it.
After the first few tracks I was ready to write it off as Electronic slop and give it a 1. Then came Revolution, which I found to be a brilliant track. It's the clear bridge between the likes of Harmonia, Suicide and later electronic acts such as Stereolab. The pulsing rhythmic repetitive beats work really well in the case of Revolution and Suicide, where there is a clear drum beat and its generally more uptempo. I just wish it continued that trend more though, rather than a lot of the more boring tracks like How does it feel. When the tracks are boring, they're a real chore to get through, but there are fun songs on here I'd listen to again.
It has moments. I have movements. A match made in heaven.
I was very interested in this at first but as it went on it bored me a bit ngl, but still it was okay
Floaty groovy album that drones on a little too long. Mostly enjoyable.
Blinky’s musical daydream. (It actually sounds like meditation music mostly)
I can honestly say, I have never heard of these guys before. I’m surprised since I like to think of myself as a finger on the strong pulse of the music industry. My first impression is that they suit their name. It’s a very spacey sounding album. I can’t give more details than that for a description. It’s just waving sounds like I equate space to feel like. I wouldn’t be surprised if The Dandy Warhols were inspired by these guys. I’m not so sure that a person would pick a song off of here and I use it in their list of go to songs but I can say I feel the album can be a crutch for someone who may just want to get lost in their thoughts. This is not an album you’d put on to help you fall asleep or fuck or fight or party. Maybe it’s the album at the end of the party that comes on when all that’s left in the house are people who are either too stoned or high to move or those who have passed out or on the verge of passing out. Choice cut: How Does it Feel
I've never really got Spacemen 3, so was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It does still come with maybe the worst album cover I've ever seen?
Dull
Trippy, but not as good as Spiritualized's discography.
how does it feel findi sehr geil, es zwingt eim uf e raffinierti wiis zu geduld. es stellt sich use: das zieht sich eig durs ganze album. mit de zit wirds chli astrengend, me wird zwei stunde lang zu geduld zwunge... aber: si schaffed mega mit obertön (z.b. in suicide (live) ischs mer mega ufgfalle)! so kuul. ich mues säge, obwohl d songs in sich repetitiv sind, findi s prinzip und s experimentelle vode songs und s album iwie no geil. allerdings hanis au zum butze aglost und chan mer vorstelle, dasses zum eif sitzend lose seehr astrengend isch.
Great space rock album. Reminds of Spirituilized.
Artsy, almost lullaby shoegaze. Like it, if only because it dares to be so different, especially in the go-go-go 80s. This rating feels somewhat generous, since honestly I don't expect to listen to it again.
Very long - but I'm ok with that for this effort. Rich guitar tone, drone like songs but it all worked.
Started off well but then got massively repetitive and boring Disappointing but not terrible 3 ⭐️
a little bit too meandering for my tastes
Pretty good. Honestly, I listened to it on Friday - today's Monday - and I don't remember much about it.
Okay album, decent background without ever pulling my attention specifically 6/10
Another perfectly okay fades-into-the-background album.
The album wasn't bad, but most of the songs were slow and sleepy.
Understated album with many interesting soundscapes. Definitely sounds like a follow up to the late Talk Talk albums and a precursor to the Post Rock boom in the 90s, both of which I adore. Huge, distorted guitars contrast the relaxed and hazy synths. Another surprising find. Best Tracks: - Suicide - Revolution Worst Tracks: - I Believe It Rating: 7/10
I was not surprised to see Spacemen 3 listed among Panda Bear's influences because I can hear a lot of Animal Collective in their music. Regardless, I don't think I was in the right head space to fully enjoy this album (i.e. on drugs) as much as I could have.
cool space stuff
Enjoyed it but can’t see myself reaching for it
Alright 3.8
I already know this a bit - back in the early 2010s when I was a teenager waiting for the day I'd meet a hot skinny indie boy like Ben Goldwasser from MGMT, and thought I'd better check out some tunes so I know what I'm talking about when we're listening to druggie music, smoking weed in our skinny jeans and tumblr cardigans. That didn't happen for me but on listening back I kinda still like this, although it loses its way a little in the middle for me. Would listen again.
they walked so shoegaze could run/gaze at her shoes.
I really enjoy the subtlety of the vocals against the music - very mid-career Brian Eno-esque. Other than that though the songs were generally pretty though forgettable. More good than bad for sure. 3/5
A bit too light and fluffy for me, maybe I need to be in the right mood
Les premières minutes avec “Honey” donnent tout de suite envie d’aimer ce groupe, ce son. Mais très vite ça devient trop perché, genre dès “How does it feel”, 7’58 hyper répétitives, j’imagine trippante mais là j’ai pas les bonne drogues. Sympa en fond, pas grand chose que j’écouterai volontairement. Surtout “Suicide” qui fait 11 minutes, qui est hyper répétitive, et qui est présent en trois versions toutes identiques.
3 out of 5. The sludgy psychedelia is sometimes cool, sometimes misses.
if this inspired Godspeed! then I will acknowledge it's contribution. But listening to this out of context, it has moments of intrigue tempered by moments of blandness. 3.5 rounded to a 3
This was a very weird and experimental record. Some days I’d probably argue this is too obscure for me but it must have arrived on a good day. I definitely appreciate the psychedelic & futuristic feel of some of these tracks. Others were just bad/noisy. “Revolution” really caught me off guard with its garage rock style, followed by the very mellow “So Hot” and “Lord Can You Hear Me” it almost seems like multiple bands are on here.
I'm of two minds about this album. On one hand, this is an album that is reminiscent of something I've listened to as recently as 2022, and I think that there's something inherently fresh about it. On the other hand, it feels slow a lot--definitely a lot of skips, if I'd let myself do that--but that is in competition with the fact that I know if I'd seen this live, I would have absolutely loved it. It's giving lots of difficulty trying to figure out what the point of an album is. There are some really great songs on here, though. This whole ordeal has really confused my Spotify algorithm.
This was fine, but nothing really special. Probably great if you were on heroin or something. But it’s not necessary and totally skippable.
Wasnt bad, but it was going nowhere a little bit. I don't think it's a 2 star album though, so low 3
it was long but not bad
Not as bad as I thought it would be. Was expecting something unlistenable. 2.5 stars rounding up.
I have a hard time saying what this sounded like to me, but it had some good moments. 3.5
I kind of liked some of these songs. They were ones I have heard at church. Very soothing
Wasn't high enough to appreciate this I think
It drones on too much for my liking.
Есть ощущение, что в силу неожиданных причин вообще вся музыка воспринимается мной лучше, чем есть на самом деле, но это было атмосферно и в целом в моем духе (как будут розовые очки, но на уши?) Лучшая песня - Revolution.
some cool stuff and some not cool stuff. i liked it most when it was the almost ambient synth songs and liked it least when it was the harsh guitar songs. but the juxtaposition worked well and i think there was a good amount of both
Interesting listen.
Fav: Revolution Least Fav: How Does It Feel Right now I’m feeling a Spacemen 3/5, could change later…
Ooft. Another record spoiled by streaming services putting up a confusing 2-hour, extended edition that makes everything worse than the artists intended 😬 I love a bit of spiritualised but not that familiar with their predecessor, the spaceman 3. To be frank, I couldn't be bothered with this much stoned-sounding introspection today.
01) Honey - 7,0 02) Come Down Softly to My Soul - 7,0 03) How Does It Feel? - 6,0 04) I Believe It - 5,5 05) Revolution - 7,0 06) Let Me Down Gently - 6,0 07) So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears) - 6,5 08) Suicide - 5,0 09) Lord Can You Hear Me? - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,33 (63/100)
This album had it's moments, as long as you don't set your expectations too high. Spacey and ambient at times, it does offer a variety of styles, some psychedelic nods to early Pink Floyd and more sonic influences of MC5 or the Stooges. My first thought was a "poor-man's" Velvet Underground, but even that doesn't fully describe what I'm hearing. Not something I have to hear again and not essential to my ears.
listened to again it's got some interesting content but feels REALLY long, this could have been reduced to a 40 min album
Pretty spaced out, good for sleeping 3
Vibey and droney and easy to get lost in! I enjoy the vocals too, the last song is a very nice closer
My rating will likely increase to 4 stars over time, but currently I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. This was my introduction into Spacemen 3 and their music. I don't know if this album is a typical sound and style for them but most of the songs are far too drawn out with not much actually happening on them. On the tracks that do have a typical song structure, the instrumentation and music itself sound great. The fuzzy, distorted guitar work and prominent riffs create the sort of sound that is right up my alley.
This happens to be in my musical wheelhouse, but I suspect there won't be too many fans.
Best Song: Revolution Worst Song: Let me down gently
shoegaze，有点梦核的感觉
Didn't mind it. A little self-indulgent with some of the long songs and guitar experimentation, but that's what you get with shoegaze. Honey was a decent opener, Revolution was an edgier sounding track, and Suicide had some cool parts even if it was 11 minutes long.
I love me some bullshit random noise, but that didn't save the album from being super mid.
I love spiritualised so this was an interesting listen Too wiggy to really want to listen to it much again but not without its psychedelic charms
It's not an easy-listen album. At first it seems like a set of good ideas lazily wasted, but little by little, as the songs progress, the sound takes you on a really cool journey. The big problem is that at some points it is very tiring, which cancels out any kind of replay factor that the album may have. I'll leave 3 stars!
An interesting album for it's time. Certainly pushed the boundaries of music in the 80's, presenting work that's driven yet ambient. Peaceful yet powerful. A prelude to many other great artists to come
Runs the gamut of Distorted, contemplative, Spacey, meditative, hypnotic, psychedelic and fuzzed the fuck out, often at the same time. 3.5/5
Sounds like post rock but then also some vocals are included. Interesting mix
A fun jam. Didn't go beyond disc 1 though
I mean, yes, sure? Fine to have on in the background, very shoegaze/ambient.
Playing With Fire is another mixed bag for me. The album most definitely is a really noisy one mostly with the My Bloody Valentine like guitars in a lot of the songs and typically those are cool with me as long as they give the songs enough time to sink in. While this album did indeed do that, it just didn't exactly hit the same as something like m b v as the noise here got more repetitive. There are some pretty good songs here though like Come Down Softly To My Soul and Revolution. Even the worst songs here were tolerable. This is an okay album but its a very acquired taste. Best Song: Come Down Softly To My Soul Worst Song: I Believe It
Stoner indie. Not as drawn out and tedious as his Spiritualized stuff but still a bit of a dull drone
Some bits good, some bits ho-hum, probably good for the background.
Proto Spiritualized
Found it difficult to get into this one. The bonus tracks at the end of the re-release didn't help. I think there's some good stuff here, but it didn't quite work for me.
Good background music to watching a lava lamp for hours. Stand-out: Come Down Softly to My Soul
Hypnotic. I like it. 3
Husker ikke om jeg hørte hele
So low key it's easy to think you've locked yourself out of the house. Fear not, the house is all in your mind. Spacemen 3 put the ops in neopsych and the spacey in spacey as fuck. I could listen to this forever, it feels so good.
This was OK. I bet I might warm up a little more over time, if I were to give it any. It's more a 2.5, a little too heavy on the meandering psychedelic — I prefer mine a little more focused. But I was able to sink in to most of the tunes — the 11+minute "Suicide" less so than the rest.
Could have been better, but ultimately felt unfocused. Not offensive, just forgettable. Has interesting moments at times, but they’re overshadowed by the fact that I don’t care at all. 3/5
I knew this album reminded me of something - one of the group leaders is the leader of Spiritualized. Playinhlg With Fire is basically a worse, a bit more boring and blander version of this band. I'm not really sure why do we have this record on the list, just add another random Spiritualized album, it's probably so much better. A bit of wasted time.
I never laid much attention to Spacemen 3 back in the day when this album was released. Must say that giving it a listen now was a nice experience. Not that it is fantastic, but there are several interesting tracks on it
After listening to the first 4 tracks, I was certain this was a 1. Slow, repetitive, boring and one-dimensional. My mind was drawn to the awful Spiritualized-album. Then Revolution started with a nasty Stooges-sounding guitar and made me see the world in a different light. And a little later, the claustrophobic, droning and noisy Suicide took it to another level, before the last song said its soothing goodbyes. Now this is really an album of two halves!
Griovy
This was fine, but far from revolutionary for me. A number of tracks sound like something born from a warm heroin daze (e.g., Honey and How Does it Feel) -- slow moving, repetitive, and layered / drifty. Revolution stands out among the rest for the teeth that its instrumental possesses. So Hot feels like something a strung out Damon Albarn would create. Suicide was my favorite on the record -- sure it doesn't really go anywhere, but it was propulsive music for writing code to. I could take or leave this one... soft 3 for me
Easy listening
Enjoyable in the moment but otherwise a little forgettable.
Spacey Rock
These are just vaguely ambient alternative-style, effectively instrumental tunes, but they are pleasant enough to listen to—not too sleepy, not too pretentious.
Sounds familiar? I like the poem at the beginning of how does it feel. I like the mixed media. I believe it: Church-y. I was transported back to my youth. I didn't finish it 🙃🙃
I really like this. It's very different, and the minimalist instrumentation really connects with me. Revolution seems almost punk-esque, and is so far my favorite song on the album. Suicide is the worst song in my opinion. Overall, fine. Some interesting songs, and some less so.
Interesting sound, nothing really stood out for me but found it to be a decent listen
This is cool, but not in a way I particularly enjoy. I appreciate the weird vibes and muted tone of the album, but it is just not something I would return to. That said, I am impressed by the production.