Doctors of Space - Fusing Your Synapses

 Doctors of Space Music (DOS-009)

Doctors of Space are Scott "Dr Space" Heller (synths, keyboards) and Martin Weaver (guitar, bass, drum machines and synths). Unlike some of their other albums, this was formed putting together older tracks along the years from 2022 to 2024 rather than being the fruit of one or two studio sessions. I think it's a good thing because we get more variety. It's a real pleasure to hear Martin play some killer guitar which is something he apparently can't do much nowadays due to his arthritis.

We have eight, instrumental tracks in about 70 minutes. Things start with the minimal four-minute synthesizer piece "Intro". The title track "Fusing Your Synapses" has a steady drum machine beat but is rather experimental in other ways with tons of electronic noises. No guitar nor much melody here yet. The pretty dark and slow "Doomstar" is the longest track at almost 16 minutes. It also has guitar, quite heavy. Then we get some more electronic, hypnotic and trancey stuff ("Down the Ferret Hole You Go"). A very ominous vibe, somehow. "No More Bombs (Only Bongs!)" has bass and a bit more chilled out atmosphere, although it also is slow and sort of heavy when the guitar joins in. Nice name, as well! "Pinned Codes" is more synthesizer-based again. Later on it also has some lead guitar and then bass. "Chicken Shit Burger Boy" wins the funniest title competition... Another long piece, has an up-beat drum machine as well making it closer to space rock. I'd say this is my favourite with some soaring lead guitar. The album ends with the spacey, two-minute synth piece "Outro". 

The official release date is May the 5th but the album is already available on the band's Bandcamp site. I guess it's limited to 50 or 100 copies, so hurry up!

doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com/music 

 

Øresund Space Collective - Espaço 2

 Øresund Space Collective (OSC2025-LS022)

 

Like the Pink Floyd-isnpired Espaço CD the band released last year, Espaço 2 is a Bandcamp subscriber album recorded by the group in 2023 at Dr. Space's studios in Portugal. The line-up is:

KG Westman - sitar

Mattias Olsson - drums

Hasse Horrigmoe - bass

Jonathan Segel - guitar, violin

Luis - guitar, gong, noise box

Larry - rhodes

Dr. Space - synthesizers, mellotron etc.

 The CD starts off with the rather special, sitar-lead 30-minute experimental track "Wholetone Breakfast Circle". It has an unique, tranquil but weird vibe to it, but still being spacey in the OSC style. It's a very ambient, floating thing without any definitive drum beats. Strange stuff! After that, we've got two shorter pieces. Well, if you can call the 12-minute "The Darkness Beyond the Mind's Eye" shorter... But shorter in OSC terms, anyway. This is even more minimal and hypnotic stuff. I can't hear any drums, and same with the even more minimal/monotonic ambient piece "Espaco Para Você" that lasts "only" little over five minutes. If you prefer the more rocking OSC stuff this might not be for you, but those who enjoy the weird and dreamy stuff should definitely try to score a copy. I guess the extra copies will be on sale on the band's Bandcamp site in a few months, so keep on eye out!

 The band is celebrating their 20th birthday in Copenhagen next week, go there if you can! Should be a lot of fun.

oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com 

Astral Magic news: new album coming up!

I have just received some lead guitar and violin tracks for the new album from my trusty collaborator Jonathan Segel. I will try to mix "In Space We Trust" by the end of the week and send the stuff back to Jonathan for mastering.

The plan is to release it on the next Bandcamp Friday, 2nd of May. Since hardly anybody seems to buy albums anymore, this will only be a limited, factory-made CD-R release of 50 copies. But it will be great stuff, I tell you!

 I might release an (amateur...) video before the release date.

Tracks on the 42-minute album are:

 

In Space We Trust

Anti-gravity

Martian Archives

Light-years Apart

Ancient Pilots

Alien Emperor

Stasis

Deep-frozen