Arguably, there is no better time to look at human existence on the planet and in the universe in the 21st century. In one way or another, Great Britain's
Hawkwind
have been doing this since the releasing their eponymous debut album in 1970. That said, their recordings for
Cherry Red
offer creative renaissance. They continue to wind cosmic consciousness, metaphysical and occult philosophies, and existential dread in sonically inventive sounds that juxtapose psychedelia, prog rock, jazz fusion, and electronica in a cornucopia of dystopian futurism but maintain a wry,
Samuel Beckett
-esque glimmer of hope.
There Is No Space for Us
extends the concepts explored on 2023's
The Future Never Waits
and 2024's
Stories from Time and Space
; together, they account for a keyboard-focused trilogy. The album sounds more focused and balanced sonically as well as musically when compared to its immediate predecessors, extending this late-career golden age. Over eight songs, 83-year-old guitarist
Dave Brock
remains
's lone founding member but not its only visionary. That distinction is shared with the rest of the band, which includes keyboardist
Thighpaulsandra
(
Tim Lewis
), bassist
Doug MacKinnon
, drummer
Richard Chadwick
, and vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist
Magnus Martin
.
Brock
's vocals are either drop-in narrations or short verses -- he sounds more like
Robert Wyatt
than ever. Ominous, pulsing sequencers introduce "There Is Still Danger There," less a warning than a statement of where we are in the 21st century. Amid synth drones,
begins intoning his account of what has transpired since the beginning, as prog meets post-punk and voices chant raucously in the backdrop as the tune morphs into a monolithic metal jam. "Space Continues (Lifeforms)" recalls at once the popular heyday of
Tangerine Dream
with tense guitar arpeggios, keyboard oscillations, and syncopated rhythms. Single "Co Pilot" joins slide blues to Latin rhythms in a melodic, sprawling exercise in instrumental,
Santana
-esque jazz-rock (à la
Welcome
). While "Changes" may sound too reminiscent of
Ozric Tentacles
for some, it evidences the band's attempt at a limitless, seemingly eternal sound as
and
Martin
chant "We are travelers of time and space¿" Its celestial sequencers give way to fist-pumping stadium space rock. The title cut is a short, Americana-tinged desert blues offered on acoustic slide, with shakers, bass, mandolin, squalling synths, and a banjo. "The Outer Regions of Space" threads Latin jazz rhythms and a bumping bassline to create something akin to yacht rock on Alpha Centauri. "Neutron Star" melds the band's earliest sense of prog-rock intensity (à la the
Lemmy
Michael Moorcock
years) with trashy garage punk and electronica. Closer "A Long Way from Home" spends its first four minutes as a mellow, breezy psych pop instrumental with pianos, acoustic and electric guitars, organic drumming, and painterly synth before
sings into the ether, "I'm/A long, long way/From home" as it whispers to a close.
sounds more holistic than its trilogy predecessors, with leaner production, deft arrangements, and extremely inventive songwriting. ~ Thom Jurek