Spectrum Indian Giver CD

Spacemen 3 have always fit well on mixtapes near Big Star. Separated by about a decade, the two bands shared a similar knack for penning songs that could best be described as sublime. Recently Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3 (Spectrum) spent some time in Independence, Mississippi, making a record with Jim Dickinson (Captain Memphis), venerable producer of Big Star's THIRD/SISTERS LOVERS (not to mention countless other albums). The result is nothing if not purely indulgent, but it does offer an amusing and sometimes exciting take on both parties' strongest assets. The standout track is "The Lonesome Death of Johnny Ace," which sounds like a retro futurist song-and-dance man trying in vain to bring Folkways to the Space Age. Most of the material here is not new, but rather new takes on old songs. "Take Your Time" is an old Spectrum cut; "When Tomorrow Hits" is a Mudhoney tune previously covered by Spacemen 3; and there's a soothing stab at the Spacemen's own "Hey Man." Ultimately, the record feels less like a cohesive album and more like two mavericks going at some low-key pop iconclasm, yet it is precisely this that makes INDIAN GIVER a pleasant surprise.

Liner Note Author: Andrea Lisle.

Recording information: Zebra Ranch, Tate County, MS (09/09/2003-09/13/2003).

Personnel: Randall Nieman (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards); Luke Faust (fiddle); Kevin Houston (saxophone); Pete Matthews (trumpet); Terry Manning (Moog synthesizer); Teddy "Edward the Troubadour" Page (upright bass); Jim Crosthwait (drums).

Audio Mixer: Kevin Houston .

Uncut (p.107) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[The album] pairs Dickinson's swampy rasp with Kember's celestial drones, resulting in a meaty Memphis stew, with more than a pinch of Rugby psych."