A couple years ago someone had posted about the Modern Stars on Facebook and I was instantly hooked, mostly because of the obvious Spacemen influences but there’s a whole lot of darkness here as well that brings to mind The Janitors or Underground Youth. The primal drumming and orchestrated noise has its roots in much of the shoegaze movement as well. Space Trips For The Masses doesn’t disappoint. This one is a late night city driving record, meaning you aren’t going to dance a whole lot but you will enjoy the lights and the motion. The heavy guitars and liberal use of tremolo will help keep the buzz going strong. Perhaps my favorite song is the eight minute long “Drowning” which brings to mind a goth version of Galaxie 500 with its squealing guitars and almost Bo Diddly beat and pounding drums. But don’t sleep on Ninna Nanna to close out the record with it’s beautiful anthem-like vocals which is apparently a traditional lullaby. I have a feeling this is one of those records that may fly under the radar a bit but it’s really quite solid all the way through. The cover art is probably up there for best cover of the year also.
Released by Miacameretta Records (Italy) and Little Cloud Records (USA)
