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MP3 Album Price: $9.99
Compatible with all MP3 players including iPod, iPad, iTunes and Window Media Player
All songs written or co-written by Antony Langdon and/or Royston Langdon.
There's no denying the strong influence of '70's glam rockers like David Bowie and T. Rex on RESIDENT ALIEN. A few songs, like "Starside," sound uncannily like early Bowie, complete with spaceship sound effects. However, Spacehog goes far beyond just retro appeal, partly because of their refusal to take themselves seriously. Even their most hostile, snarling lyrics are bursting with wit, and the glittery surface of their music is simply the slick icing on top of a substantial cake made of gritty, rocking guitar and solid drum work.
The icing includes Royston Langdon's theatrical vocals and strutting, stylish songwriting, which includes tongue-in-cheek lyrics like "So if you raise a glass/To love you passed/Raise a glass to me" (from "Shipwrecked"). Spacehog enjoys this kind of melodramatic posing, both in their lyrics and in their music, but they don't lose track of a song's dynamics, and their strong sense of timing lends a sharp edge to each track, never allowing its essence to get lost in the zealous glitter.
British but based in New York, Spacehog's publicity material would have you believe the group resurrects the glam heyday of vintage Bowie and Mott the Hoople (even disingeniously referring to them as "the band who fell to earth"). It's all well and good to set your sights high, but the hype creates expectations that Resident Alien is incapable of delivering, despite the blatant Ziggy Stardust vocal inflections of "Starside" and "Zeroes." There's no doubt that this awkwardly-named combo attack their chosen retro-glam vocation with panache, flash, and good humor, but there's ultimately not a lot of substance behind the theatrical pose and fat Gibson runs. With few exceptions (there's no denying the preening bulls-eye of "Never Coming Down") the songwriting tends to be fairly frothy. Still, I'd take a dose of Resident Alien any day over yet another cold dish of serious, mystically dour, faux-acid rock Doors/Led Zep wannabes. Ironically, by homogenizing the Brit-glam sound in their manner, Spacehog may just succeed in bridging to U.S. audiences who often have difficulty relating to the "Britishness" of the latest U.K. wave. ~ Roch Parisien
Debut album from the NY based glam-influenced quartet co-produced by Bryce Goggin ( Luna , Lemonheads )
Classic 90s When I hear this album it brings me back to the 90s and brings memories of driving on the road and just having a good time. Best track is In The Meantime closely followed by Candyman. An essential to any music collection. Submitted by Go Flames Go! (Calgary, AB, Canada) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Breaking the Silence I cant really say i know you'll love this cd. But i do know thats its a good change from the everyday crap radio, so if you want some thing new try this on for size. Submitted by templed (oh,risingsun) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Pretty Poor Maybe I'm missing something, but I've had this CD for over ten years, and think it's pretty rotten. The best thing you can say about it is that it isn't your typical, run-of-the-mill mid-'90's alternative rock.. Most of these songs just kind of drone along under layers upon layers of keyboards. The band seems to be way into weirdness and irony for their own sakes only. "In The Meantime" is about the only song here I find memorable, and even then, that's probably just because it got played about ten times a day on the radio back then. Avoid. Submitted by Fizz (Delmarva) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 1 found this helpful.
Classic 90s
Breaking the Silence
Pretty Poor
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