http://www.discogs.com/Larry-Heard-Alien/release/5603315
Ho-hum... what bracket to put this album in then, House, techno, downtempo, none? (not that i usually care much for tags). I must admit whilst I was very aware of Larry heard from many of David Toops' rambling endearments, I never actively seeked out his works. Whilst this is something I rather regret now, especially as when I lived in Worthing I had access to buy an original press of "washing machine" in a small independent house and dance record shop (you know you want it records) and regret not taking up the opportunity. The problem partly was, I never did buy into David's suggestion that washing machine was the start of the third ambient boom (ocean of sound)... I would admit that the track is not doubt inspiring and novel, but i feel it lacked some of the distinction of earlier ambient works from the main body of material at the time and to some degree didn't move the genre onto a new direction. Personally, I feel that the UK techno scene was better at progressing ambient sound and that the "house sound" whilst inspiring much of the UK scene borrowed far more heavily from soul and disco. If you don't agree with this statement, fair cop... I wasn't around at the time (not even alive for some of it) and this is purely personal opinion.
Diverting away, this gorgeous sci-fi infused album sound very much in line with traditional lush house fullness of yesteryear and has the groove in many of the tracks as such (especially within Microgravity where there is a laid back Balearic feel). However it feels obvious that Larry has borrowed in 1996 many of the experimental European elements within dance music and added it to his sound to create a hyrbrid. This only works to complement heavily the sci-fi nature of the music to feel incredibly immersive and give the tracks a thematic credibility on par with the scene/story setting powers of Drexciya.
Whilst this album is rather sample light and vocal light. I personally love the purity of musical influences that come through (jazz lines, house, soul, euro-house, ambient) untainted by trying to be too experimental with sound itself and sticking to experimenting around the musical form. A good example of this would be the track flight of the comet where the syncopated jazzy stab throughout really complements the idea of a jaunt through an alien interplanetary city at sunset. Actually, I would be very surprised in the composer for the anime series Kaiba (Kiyoshi Yoshida) had not borrowed some of his O.S.T ideas from this album. Stylistically this album is all over the shop, RNA-DNA is a slow rave like pulse through an oceanic bubble with a nice simple techno hook, Dance of planet X is just purely EPIC, no other description (and my god man! THAT PAD!). Probably my favorite piece on the album, but being the least experimental (experimental being something I usually look for), maybe that's a little easy to say over one of the more esoteric and sprawled tracks such as Galactic Travels Suite (a meandering ambient dance trip with experimental Underworld-esque trance like beginnings and a really nice change in musical hooks throughout, especially the bass lines. It ends in a fantastic off kilter bassline Kraftwerkian techno beat. Prog-tastic!) Cosmology Myth feels like it would work well on Cowboy Beebop, partly a cheezy feeling wild western sci-fi crossover in nature, it somehow really works well... whilst I would like to say this may be the weakest track on the album.. I honestly think there are no weak tracks, only a lack in my ability to fully appreciate them.. it must be said Cosmology Myth has a hell of a lot of soul! The beauty of Celeste ends the album nicely along with the former track on a chilled Hip-Hop note, not usually being a fan of rap bar a few instances (say...4Hero) I always feel rap works if thematically coherent. And here it does.. a nice poetic, if a little repetitive, view into the nature of this invented solar system.. and maybe through the lines... just a short glimpse at our own and our ability to wonder at it?
In most tracks the analogue nature of the synth lines really shine through, some of the bass lines are purely room shakingly full and gritty as you would come to expect. But also... do I hear wavetable synths? (or at least samples) popular at the time of making... the digital crispness for the upper lines REALLY compliments well against the analogue backdrop. I wish more artists, and myself, would explore this as the basis for songs. Now without straying to become to technical anymore, I've quickly come to love this album and rate it very highly. It feels a nice departure from some of the more bleak and rigid techno I have, feeling far warmer (like a red summer sun) but still retains the musicality and thematic ability to innovate through sounds and notes that I idolise so much with the former. Musically, tracks seem to borrow heavily from 60s soul/jazz solo organ lines, Hip hop, cheesy digital country guitars, film soundtracks, Eno-ambient, Euro-techno to some degree french impressionism such as Satie in some of the more contrived musical passages. It's a very good mix and not one I feel most people could pull off and make work to this extent. Full of emotion and lot's to explore over and over again in repeat listens me and this album have a long future together. Sigh, they don't make em like this as much nowdays' ... just repress 'em.
Pressing: This album is mostly a wonderful repress and a steal for the sale price. The clear vinyl is lovely and really works well to prop up the clarity and content of the songs. A few yellow/ black flecks on the second disk as noted by some (generally around the edge.) However, to me this just gives the press a little more character. Nicely cut and flawlessly mastered. the extra room and lack of compression offered by having two disks may have an effect but i haven't listened to the original press so cannot say for certain. Artwork all well made and perfectly reproduced. An essential purchase!
Top tracks:
Dance of Planet X
DNA-RNA
The Beauty of Celeste
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