Described as a band that were overlooked and way ahead of their time, Space Needle sounds just like every band that never made it big but should have. This collection of recordings show that they were a talented bunch but if these songs are anything to go by, they are not all the hype makes them out to be.
There is an almost unhealthy mix of songs on this album, I say this because while I think it’s great to hear a band who can change styles at a whim but equally it feels like Space Needle were wandering the musical landscape trying to find a unique sound. Unfortunately the liner notes for Recordings 1994-1997 don’t specify when each individual song was recorded so it’s impossible to tell from this document alone whether the change in styles was a progression or pure randomness. What the liner notes do make a big deal out of is how unlike their contemporaries Space Needle were. I think this is a gross exaggeration. Yes there are moments that made me think that they sounded like they knew what was to come in the new millennium. Most of the time they sound more like a band coming from the same area as their contemporaries but didn’t get the break.
Songs like “Sun Don’t Love Me” and “Old Spice” made me forget I was listening to a band that wasn’t The Flaming Lips. Right down to the voice these songs sounded exactly like what The Flaming Lips were putting out around that time. That being said, the songs are extremely good, “Sun Don’t Love Me” being a song that I’m likely to include in every mix CD I do for the foreseeable future. Equally there are songs that sound strikingly similar to Low and My Bloody Valentine. I’m not suggesting in any way that Space Needle are ripping anyone off or were part of a scene but I reject the validity of the hype surrounding them. There are plenty of solid songs like “One Kind of Lullaby” and “Never Lonely Alone” that although not ground breaking, they are highly enjoyable and well written.
However there are some tracks that stick out as being original. “Scientific Mapp” is a noisy affair that sounds like it was recorded yesterday. “(Untitled Duet)” and the opening track “Eyes to the World” both sound more modern than they are but not exactly mind blowing. As with the rest of the album, the songs are good but don’t like up to all that I read about them over the last month or two.
Space Needle are not the new Velvet Underground, they are not going to be appreciated by newer audiences in any astonishing way. What Recordings 1994-1997 shows is a good American indie band with a slightly experimental edge that could have gone further than they did. It’s nice to see an album like this and be exposed to a band I otherwise would never have heard of but I don’t feel like my life is any better for it.
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