The Mooney Blues: The Attack of Space Rock!!!

As you can tell from all of the talk of global warming and other environmental issues in the news, as of late, the world's been pretty interested in the wellfare of, well, the world. For thousands of years the great majority of the human population accepted the notion of a geocentric universe, and even though we now know that we aren't the center of everything, doesn't it still feel like we are?

However self-centered our little green planet is, we've found time to look beyond ourselves seeking help and guidance from outerspace. For me, it's actually pretty comforting to think that someone, somewhere may actually have it more together than us little earthlings. Deep down, don't we all think there's more to life than just this?

Here are a couple albums that can make you feel spacey and then bring you down to Earth (sort of), it's your choice whether you'll be loony like Luna Lovegood or centered like Remus Lupin.

"Dins" by Psychic Ills

Eight songs that play with your eardrums, and give you the feeling that you could be living in an episode of Dr. Who (the latest reincarnation of that series is pretty freaking sweet, by the way). Quite a few of their songs are like the intros to Pink Floyd hits, so after listening for a bit, you start to feel a little panicky; "Telltale Heart" symptoms and fainting spells are in your future. The way Psychic Ills creates music is quite manipulative really, and subliminal, layering sound upon sound until you have what would normally be called a song. "Electriclife", "Untitled", and "January Rain" are all squeezed together on the album, and make me feel as if space travel is in my immediate future. Time travel is also a definite possibility, as some of these songs conjure visions of 1960s New York and San Francisco. Whatever your musical interest, "Dins" will take you on a trip that's not necessarily pleasant, but definitely interesting.


"Noble Creatures" the Gourds

The cover of this album looks just like a 1980s cover of a $0.50 science fiction story; a man, boat, and giant squid are all surrounded by craters, stars, and sketchy planetary outlines. Funnily enough, much of the music found behind the crazy cover art, would fit better in a bar on Earth, than on Mos Eisley (let's hope I spelled that correctly, or I'll succumb to the wrath of rabid Star Wars fans all over the internet!). The Gourds are making the soundtrack for the places on Earth where stars can still be seen, and, in this country at least, those places are quickly disappearing to light pollution. Alt-country rockers like "How Will You Shine?" and "Moon Gone Down" seem penned as odes to deep blue skies on stuffy summer nights. "The Gyroscopic" is my favorite song on "Noble Creatures". The song trembles and bursts, as the Gourds pull influences from Mexico and California, singing of the "noble creatures of the sea". The lyrics on this album aren't focused, and they're very eccentric for a alt-rock band, but they still make sense in a roundabout way, which is really what you can say of the album and the band. Take a listen to "Noble Creatures", and see for yourself what it all means, if it really means anything.