Voyager One has been one of my favorite electro-pop meets space rock bands for the last few years and this new one is very nice. They've moved solidly beyond the shoegazer tag at this point, even though it probably never did quite fit their sound. I'm reminded of early Alan Parsons I Robot in the third song, "Endless Repeat". And "Floating Bridges" is reminiscent of that great first side of David Bowie's (and Brian Eno's) Low. Not so much the dark and cold feel, but I can hear some of the solid Eno soundscapes, and a Kraftwerk-like moto groove. The dense sound comes back a little slower and darker in "Life, Truth, and Light" later on. Very nice references for me. But they sound more modern too. There are samples and drum loops and processed vocals at various times. Inspired enough by that live bootleg of the early Verve to borrow the title for their name, those early bands in the space rock shoegazer field also shaped their sound. But there's so much more here than just copying a certain sound or revisiting a lost era. There's still some of that Echo & The Bunnymen feel as on the last one, Monster Zero, which even pulled off a great cover of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", but this one is more electronic, with piano and guitar layers artfully handled, and much care in the production. Backwards guitars and stuttering beats and lazy vocals in "The Good You Do Not Do" give it a "Strawberry Fields" feel, but with an extra swirl of electronics riding in the mix. All of the songs are quite distinctive, and yet flow so well together. They even bring in friend Liz Green to supply some extra vocals beyond their two. And cap off the disc with one of the most beautiful and moving closers I've heard since "Consequence" on the Notwist's modern classic Neon Golden. Usually gets repeated a few times before I breakdown and play the whole CD again. Only to be repeated a few times again a way too short 38 minutes later. The music has light and color, with images sometimes reflecting the neon lights pictured on the striking CD cover. It's an intriguing album that really draws me in, and the production makes it a great listening experience, either loud or soft, headphones or speakers. But it does really come alive when you crank the volume. And it does have some very nice headphone effects. Amazing what some of these guys can do on such a small budget. One of them even took the picture for the cover



Nice review in the Seattle Weekly, which hopefully I didn't noticeably plagiarize too much

Dang, I thought you were talking about this:

Yeah, that is spacey, but not much atmosphere.

And here I tought I was the only who dug 'em. For shame that I have to hear this new album but "Wires" is so unbelievebly good that i'm not worried about the goodness of this one.

Yeah, that is a good song. That whole second album was pretty good for me. Loved that long dreamy closer too. Tokyoidaho. They actually are using that for the name of their new record company since they are self-releasing this one instead of on Loveless Records like the first two. Not sure if there was an issue or not, but it's a very professional looking package, although not much in the liner notes except credits. Woulda been nice to have some more pictures and words, but the cost probably goes up a lot if you start adding pages to the booklet. Staples and all that

Initially it was offered mainly just through cdbaby.com which is where I bought it, but now looks like distribution has been picked up by a lot of sources. And you can buy it directly through their site at voyagerone.net which is probably what I shoulda done. Still kind of new and I've only listened to it maybe 4 or 5 times. Lots left to explore, but probably be one of my top 5 of 2005.

I used to have a great shoegaze mix with them on it, until my friend Kelly refused to give it back to me. Skank.

Anyways, I'll have to give it a listen. Thanx

Can't wait to hear this. Monster Zero is one of my favorites of recent years. And you're right - the shoegazer thing never quite worked, but they certainly can conjure a cinematic sweep.

Argh! See, this is why I hate year-end lists -- there's no way I'm going to hear this any time soon.

Can I get a YSI? I'd be interested in hearing this.

Sorry, I'm not set up. You can listen to 5 tracks at cdbaby and another one at their site. That's the first 6 out of the total 8 on the CD, but yeah it might be something you need to live with awhile if you haven't heard them before and the tracks at cdbaby are probably just samples, but the 2 at their site are probably full length mp3

Yeah, I know what you mean. I never hear the good stuff until the next year anyway, after I've waded through all the short-lived fluff. This one is pretty special. Really fits my groove. Something I actually look forward to listening to over and over, which is kind of rare these days. Don't know how long it'll last, but I'm sure getting my money's worth right now

I wasn't crazy about their first record...but the tracks I heard from the new one are pretty damn sweet.

damn this sounds like me

Yeah, but they're 2 minute samples -- in two of the cases, it's only enough for the song to just get started, but in the rest, it's plenty to get a taste...besides -- at US$10 (9 if you have a friend) + shipping, it's a bah-gain.

They have three now -- which "first one" are you talking about? Besides, with a moniker like that, I don't really expect you to take the leap to space rock.

Think Curve meets Spiritualized, with vocals by...um...the guy from Spiritualized maybe? No, definitely remind me of someone...Chapterhouse? Ride? Not putting my finger on it...

monster zero.

despite my monkier...I think curve and chapterhouse suck...besides...I'm not speaking of death to the genre...I'm speaking of death to me.

Okay, I downloaded those two songs from the band's website and I LOVE IT! Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to have to buy this now.

The bass reminds me of Jesus and Mary Chain for some reason.

SP's endorsement (I STILL love ectopic beats!) sent me over to cdbaby. Thanks for the tips yall

Monster Zero never really did it for me, either. The potential was definitely there, though. I'll prob give it a listen.

I am quite intrigued and will need to add to my list.

i have from the new nation of long shadows and monster zero, but they've both never done much for me. i think i liked their name (taken from a popular old verve bootleg) more than their music.
i still haven't sold them back or anything, so i suppose there was enough on them to warrant me keeping them around. i'll have to throw them on again soon.

I like em.. and have both "from the long shadows" and "monster zero" but they are definitely a band that it takes patience with because it builds and the payoff isn't until late in the 5 to 9 minute song. I've found them to be ipod incompatible because of my attention span of wanting instant gratification. They are good tho and I'll probably buy this one also.

Yeah, this new one has a quicker payoff. More groove oriented and more electronica, as opposed the lazy Pink Floyd type stuff. Most songs are around the 5 minute mark, some less. Moving more toward the Notwist, which means a bit more of the Kraftwerk sound. Probably my favorite of 2005 at this point. Colossal record.