“Imagine yourself as one of the crew of this faster-than-light spaceship of the future”
So speaks the narrator, sampled from a 1950s B Movie of the style from which Dutch space rockers Radar Men From The Moon take their name. In 2011 they launched into outer space with this debut album, the ungainly monikered Intergalactic Dada & Space Trombones. This is a band that wears its influence on its sleeve: Hawkwind, and not the frothy Quark, Strangeness And Charm stuff, either. What’s curious is that for space rock there is a lack of dedication to 4/4 groove, leading to a trippier, looser ride. Make no mistake though, this is no pleasure jaunt; exploring the universe can be a risky business…
From the opening Gerry Anderson / Fireball XL5 style opening for ‘Space Colonists’ the music explodes in widescreen imitating the initial fury of blast off. Between smoother sections of rolling bass, the guitar spits chemtrails.
‘The Wire’ starts with neurotic drums, adds bass made of granite and six inch nails and trembling high wire guitar. Title track ‘Intergalactic Dada & Space Trombones’ has a laconic shimmer reminiscent of a Can track before the rhythm section hits, tighter and more focused than on the previous tracks. Past the 4 minute mark the guitar brings down the best riff on the album, like mercury on a lava flow. ‘The People Who Will Stay On The Earth Will Explode’ is a cocktail of gloopy bass and languid guitar while ‘Moonjuice’ brings the album back in to land with atmospherics and wiry textures.
All 5 tracks clock in at over 9 minutes. Each track is explored with a powerhouse rhythm section and freewheeling guitar. Maybe most impressive is that just 3 guys make such a racket.
Finally, the use of movie samples is an inventive, quirky gimmick that gave Radar Men From The Moon a unique calling card, which they have sadly subsequently dropped.
Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys Space Ritual but skips the tossy poetry bits.
And, for good measure, here is a 1 hour specially recorded live show…
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