One of the finest instrumental psychedelic jam bands returns with their seventh full length and first for Strange-Attractors, the fine Portland, Oregon imprint that's been making wonderful noises recently with exceptional releases from Kinski, Surface of Eceon, etc. Similar to their radio station jam session, These Things Take Time, this is intended to be experienced in one lengthy, continuous listening session, and is divided into eight segments, roughly based on mood and chord changes. (In all honesty, it's actually closer to a mini-album, supplemented with new recordings of the track on their recent split LP with Bardo Pond ("Tigris"), a previously available MP3 ("Tucson"), and a rough, fuzzy, distorted, bargain basement, boombox-recorded hidden track that was, frankly, a little too easy to find, and should have remained in the archives.)
"The Harsh Facts of Life" is essentially your kitchen sink approach to instrumental psychedelic rock: ten minutes of driving, pulsating, white noise guitar skronk, intermingled with several lengthy pure drone guitar sections and a couple of Crimsonesque syncopated, angular mood enhancers tossed in for good measure. "Deep End" is hushed, mournful, and tentative—a classic case of waiting for the other shoe to drop and a marvelous updating of The Cure's "A Forest," which is a very good thing indeed. In addition to the spot-on Robert Smith guitar pyrotechnics, the "MJ Guitar Connection" (Mason Jones and Melynda Jackson) can make their six-strings sound like just about anything, including a violin ("Deep End" and particularly "Down Nod Out," where it was almost three minutes before I realized it wasn't a violin!), and a theremin ("Angel Food"). This secret weapon enables Subarachnoid Space to vary their sound without getting into electronics or synthesizers and is one of the reasons I place them in the upper echelon of instrumental space-rock bands.
I'm almost afraid to ask what a "Burn Shot" is, but the musical version is a spikey, punky, hard-driving white noise explosion. Pay particular attention to the magic spell Jones weaves in the background: a blistering commingling of the finest distorto efforts of the Re(e/i)d Brothers (that would be Lou and William). I also like the way Subarachnoid Space albums vary the sonic textures and moods, rather than going for the jugular on the first track and maintaining warp speed throughout. The "Tucson" segment is a fine example of this laid-back, relaxation technique which features in all their releases. Again, Crimson-esque syncopation drives the piece forward, yet the hesitancy, perhaps the astonishment of experiencing an Arizona sunset is the inspiration for this track, which was previously available on their MP3 site. It's also a nice companion piece to the work of Tucson's finest instrumental psych band, Black Sun Ensemble. In fact, Black Sun Ensemble's Jesus Acedo and Subarachnoid's Jones are two of America's finest avant-guitarrorists, and Also Rising is another excellent addition to an already impressive catalogue.
Why this band isn't a household name is one of the modern mysteries of independent music. I know that if someone told me about a band whose guitarist(s) sounded collectively and individually like Roberts Fripp, Smith, and Hampson (of King Crimson, The Cure, and Loop/Main, respectively), I would certainly want to check out what they had to "say." Here's your chance. Don't delay.
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