Reviews of For Sardines…

The Movements – ”For Sardines Space Is No Problem”

The Movements are a Swedish band, usually found playing a blend of garage rock and psychedelia with touches of space rock. However, inspired by Sweden’s first astronaut, Christer Fuglesang, who just blasted off on his second mission into space on August 28th of this year (the first one was in 2006), they decided to fully embrace their space rock leanings for their latest album, For Sardines Space Is No Problem. This is a concept album about Fuglesang, his life and his journey into space, so I’m guessing the opening cut, A Birth Under the Northern Sky, is an ode to his beginnings. It’s a majestic, but also haunting organ and synth driven piece, with a slow and stately beat, culminating in the sounds of a baby crying. It sets a reverent tone for the album, which is a lovely beginning, but doesn’t really hint at the humour, craziness, and all out rocking that is to come. A young boy utters the title of the next song, Mother, Someday I’m Going To Be An Astronaut, and the band launches into a fury of space rocking with wild guitars and gurgling, bubbling synths, all somewhat reminiscent of some of the jams of Space Ritual era Hawkwind, before it takes a left turn into a Gong inspired vocal part near the end. In the Footsteps of Gagarin borrows a trick from Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, starting with a buzzing radio transmission, and the main riff of the song beginning as a distant and static laden signal, before it kicks in to high fidelity. The underlying riff is near orchestral, with cosmic synths wooshing throughout as tripped out, distorted vocals sing the main melody to great effect. In true Hawkwind tradition, there’s a strummy acoustic piece on the album as well, this in the form of Trapped On Earth, with a very catchy lullaby-like melody played on what sounds like a Glockenspiel. But wait! Half way through it blasts into an energetic space rocker, with the same chord progression and melody (this time played on cosmic synths), and an absolutely smoking organ solo. Go Now My Friend (Out Into Space) has a laid back rhythm with gentle slide guitar and soft sine wavey synth line and a kind of old-timey Caribbean sound to the vocals, but it gradually gets stranger and spacier until it finally culminates in the hero blasting off into space in a sonic freak out of countdowns and crazy interstellar sounds. That Is the Wrong Bolt Christer, Standby is a short, dreamy instrumental, perfect music for spacewalks, complete with authentic radio transmissions from Earth and the astronauts. Ministers of Space is the longest track on the album (at just over 9-minutes) and combines a Neu-style motorik rhythm with flute, weird space electronics and other effects for a totally hypnotic journey that builds slowly and inevitably to another dazzling space rock jam. It all brings us to the final track on the album, The Grasp of the King’s Hand Is Not Enough, a blistering, melodic minor key psychedelic rocker with a distinct 60′s influence that finally dissolves into a stretched out rumbling and cosmic finale.There’s not a single misstep on this album, it’s a solid effort from start to finish, achieving a perfect blend of catchy song writing with instrumental space rocking madness. And just a few days before I wrote this review, it was confirmed that Christer Fuglesang had taken a copy of it with him on his current mission to the International Space Station, making this the very first space rock to be actually played in outer space. Very cool! If you’re a space rock fan, this is an album you can’t miss! Highly recommended! Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald http://aural-innovations.com/2009/october/themovements.htm

The Movements – ”For Sardines Space Is No Problem”

Man blir lite kluven inför göteborgsbandet

The Movements konceptplatta

om Christer Fuglesang. Å ena sidan

känns det krystat, en smula suspekt

eller i alla fall creddmässigt dumt att

på ett så uppenbart sätt försöka slå

mynt av Fuglesangeffekten.

Musiken, som är mestadels instrumental,

mår däremot bara bra av den

rymdiga inramningen. Stilen, psykedelisk

rock av den mer hypnotiska

sorten, är en typ av musik som man

Titel: For sardines, space is no problem

Av: The Movements

Utgiven av: Sulatron Records

Rymdrock

för Christer

inte hör så mycket nuförtiden. Den

passar bra som ljudspår till storyn om

Christer Fuglesang. Drömmen om

rymden, den långa väntan, rymdpromenad

och lycka, känslan av att det

ändå finns mer att göra.

Tyvärr slarvar Movements bort sin

chans genom att lägga på sångpartier

och tveksamma röstsamplingar. De beskriver

albumet som ett sidoprojekt, och

det är klart att de haft kul. Och innan

någon annan gör den definitiva svenska

rymdkonceptskivan känns det ändå inte

helt fel att klämma in sig bland sardinerna

och drömma sig bort till den här.

Robert Cumming (Popular Astronomi)

http://www.popast.nu/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/2009_3_recensioner

The Movements – ”For Sardines Space Is No Problem”

The Movements have puzzled and intrigued these pages. Their latest release, ‘For Sardines Space Is No Problem’ is a journey into some seriously heavy cosmic rock. To say that this new album may be aimed at hairy men is something of an understatement. Put this on in front of a lady who you’ve just got back to your house and she’ll neck her coffee in a second flat, scorching her throat, just to get out of the area as fast as she can.

Yessir, this is prog-krautrock to skin up to and trip along some fantastic voyage in your mind, maaan.

From the nonsense title, right down to the small essay in the album cover about Christer Fuglesang, the first Swede in space, to the long drawn out relentless krautrock, to the freaky Europrog, this LP is all about the beard and the vibe.

In places, it shares a mood with Pink Floyd’s ‘Meddle’ LP, with those kinda cold-eyed comedown vocals through a Leslie cab… in other places, sounds like Neu! or Can in languid mode. Then there’s ‘Mother, Some Day I’m Going To Be An Astronaut’ which is a 3000mph bug-eyed, acid casualty freak-out jam session, complete with ambulance and blissed-out end-sequence in the ward.

Review this LP is nigh-on impossible… suffice to say… if you dig European prog, especially from around Germany, you’ll love this shit. I did. I’ve got a beard. [MG]

http://www.electricroulette.com/2009/11/review-the-movements-for-sardines-space-is-no-problem.html#more

The Movements – ”For Sardines Space Is No Problem”

Meanwhile, from over in Sweden comes the fascinating and beautiful Folk Space-opera FOR SARDINES SPACE IS NOT A PROBLEM by the collective known as the Movements. Dedicated to Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang, who made his first journey into space last August, this delightfully singular and highly Thomas Carlylean example of useful hero worship follows precisely the same kind of Folkish route that Hawkwind’s Bob Calvert attempted back in the mid-70s with such ‘collective’-driven solo works as CAPTAIN LOCKHEED & THE STARFIGHTERS, i.e.: the Movements set out loosely to illustrate musically different phases in Christer Fuglesang’s life, but never foist on to listeners so much that it gets in the way of their hefty and inspiring sonic excursions. Unlike much of the current crop of so-called space rock bands, this record exhibits none of the typical 21st century Hawkwind parody evident in much contemporary ‘Festival Music’: quite the opposite in fact. Instead, The Movements present us with an emotional and sonically inspiring work, replete with sounds inspired by everything from Joe Meek to Boards of Canada by way of Amon Düül 2, Neu, Vincent Crane, Chrome and Alrune Rod. Released on Austria’s Sulatron Records (www.sulatron.com), the Movements can (and should) be accessed at www.themovements.com without further ado.

Julian Cope http://www.headheritage.co.uk/addressdrudion/128/2010/

The Movements – ”For Sardines Space Is No Problem”

Hut ab: Keine vier Monate nach dem zweiten Album „The World, The Flesh And The Devil“ legen die fünf Göteborger bereits das nächste Brikett ins Feuer, wobei der Namenszusatz „Space Edition“ in diesem Fall absolut Sinn ergibt, wird sich doch auf diesen gerade mal acht Songs (der längste dauert über neun Minuten!) extremst der exzessiven Spacerock-Psychedelia hingegeben. Konzeptioneller Aufhänger der Scheibe ist die Lebensgeschichte von Christer Fuglesang, eines Weltraumreisenden der jahrelang als „Astronaut, der es niemals ins All schaffen würde“ verspottet wurde, bis er anno 2006 im Alter von 49 Jahren doch tatsächlich als erster Skandinavier überhaupt in den Orbit geschossen wurde, was ihn schließlich laut Ansicht der MOVEMENTS zum „greatest Swedish adventurer of all times“ adelte. Beim Opener „Birth under a northern sky“ wird zunächst noch ein sehr elegischer Orgel-Klangteppich ausgebreitet, der in herzzerreißendem Babygeschrei mündet und von dort aus in ein ziemlich krachiges, fast achtminütiges Wah-Wah-Gitarren-geschwängertes Nirwana namens „Mother, some day I’m going to be an astronaut“ übergeht. Mäandernde Farfisa- und Synthesizereskapaden entfalten in der Folge eine solch sogartige, hypnotische Schönheit, dass es einem regelrecht die Synapsen wegschmirgelt und garagige Energieausbrüche wechseln mit fast schon betäubend ruhigen, sich stets wiederholenden

Passagen, die durch den zielgerichteten Einsatz von Xylophon, Klarinette oder Flöte zusätzlich eine besondere Tiefe verliehen bekommen. Sänger David Henriksson ist dabei über weite Strecken des Albums quasi arbeitslos, und bekommt er doch mal seine Einsätze, so ist seine Stimme meist mit derart viel Hall unterlegt, dass man wirklich meint, er wäre in komplett andere Sphären abgedriftet. Hübsch auch die Idee, den Song „That’s the wrong bolt …“ mit Originalausschnitten aus dem NASA-Funkverkehr zu unterlegen und wenn man erst mal beim resignativen Fazit des letzten Titels angelangt ist („I’ve seen the earth / I’ve seen the stars / But I haven’t found my home“), so bleibt doch das schöne Gefühl zurück, Gast bei einer ganz beeindruckenden, bewusstseinsverkrümmenden Reise gewesen zu sein. Sehr imponierend!

(9/10)

Ben Bauböck

Hats off: Less than four months after the second album “The World, The Flesh And The Devil” put the five Gothenburg already the next briquettes to the fire, with the suffix “Space Edition” in this case is absolute sense, is nevertheless on these a mere eight songs (the longest lasts for nine minutes!) extremes of excessive space rock psychedelia surrendered. Conceptual hanger plate, the life history of Christer Fuglesang, a space traveler who for many years as an astronaut, would never make it into space “was ridiculed, until he was anno 2006 at the age of 49 years but in fact the first Scandinavians ever launched into orbit what it eventually, according to the opinion of the MOVEMENTS “greatest Swedish adventurer of all times” ennobled. The opener “Birth under a northern sky” initially a very elegiac organ sound carpet is spread, culminating in heartbreaking baby cries, and from there in a rather smashing term, almost eight minutes of wah-wah guitar-filled nirvana called “Mother, some day I’m going to be an astronaut “is about. Meandering Farfisa and synthesizer escapades unfold in the impact such a sogartige, hypnotic beauty that is a downright wegschmirgelt the synapses and garage bursts of energy interspersed with almost deafening quiet, always repetitive passages, the addition of the targeted use of xylophone, clarinet or flute extra depth to get awarded. Singer David Henriksson is for much of the album virtually unemployed, but once he gets and its operations, so his voice is usually backed by so much reverb that it really means, he would have drifted in completely different spheres. Pretty well the idea of the song “That’s the wrong bolt …” supported with original clips from the NASA radio traffic and when you are first time arrived at the conclusion of the resignation last track (“I’ve seen the earth / I’ve seen the stars / But I have not found my home “), still remains the great feeling of having been a guest at a very impressive bewusstseinsverkrümmenden trip.

Very impressive! (9/10) Ben Bauböck http://www.ox-fanzine.de/web/rev/69507/reviews.207.html

The Movements – ”For Sardines Space Is No Problem”

The Movements ist eigentlisch eine Schwedische Garage-Rock-Band (aktuelles Album „The World, the Flesh and the Devil“). Sie hat aber auch noch ein zweites Leben, in dem sie sich The Movements (space edition) nennt. Und in dieser Form hat sie gerade mit „For sardines space is no problem“ ein Lupenreines Spacerock-album vorgelegt. Mehr noch: Die Platte ist eine Space-hommage an Christer Fuglesang, dem ersten schwedische Astronauten, der es 2006 ins All schaffte. Dass da wohl etwas Nationalstolz als Motivation diente – geschennkt, denn dieses Album lässt einiges verzeihen. Zu schön ist schon die ruhige, von einer schweren orgel dominierte Opener „A birth under the northern sky“, ebenso das wilde „Mother, some day im going to be an astronaut“, was sowohl der Tracktitel ist als auch der Satz den ein kleiner Junge hier ins Mikro spricht. Gänzlich dahin schmelzen darf der Psych-Space-Fan ob der wunderbaren Melodien im Acidfolk-Song „trapped on earth“: Gesang, Glöckchen, Orgeln und Flöten verschmelzen zu einem wahrlich fantastichen Lied. Mit stoischen Rythmen erinert schliesslich „ministers of space“ an die Krautlegende Faust. Der Space-Edition-Anzug ist den Movements wie auf den Leib geschneidert.

BSV

Eclipsed Mag

The Movements real name is a Swedish garage-rock band (latest album “The World, the Flesh and the Devil”). But it also has a second life in which she called The Movements (space edition). And in this form it has just presented with “For sardines space is no problem ” with a flawless space rock album. More, the plate is a Space-hommage to Christer Fuglesang, the first Swedish astronaut who in 2006 made it into space. That there was probably a bit of national pride as a motivation – geschennkt, because this album can forgive a lot. Too good is already the quiet, of a heavy organ-dominated opener “A birth under the northern sky”, as is the wild “Mother, some day im going to be an astronaut, ” which both the track title and the sentence which a small Boy here speaks into the microphone. Completely may melt away the Psych-space fan if the wonderful melodies in Acidfolk song “trapped on earth”: voice merging, bells, organs and flutes to a truly fantastic song bites. With stoic rhythms berebere finally “Minister of space” to the herb Faust legend. The Space Suit Edition is the Movements as tailored to the body. BSV Eclipsed Mag