Hawkwind — There Is No Space For Us
There Is No Space For Us is the thirty-seventh studio album from UK space Rock legends Hawkwind. The eight-track album sees the five-piece firing on all cylinders- creating a record that rewardingly shifts from spacecraft zooming urgency, mid-paced starry wonder, and constellation drifting moodiness
The album is available as either a vinyl LP, CD, digital download, or via streaming. I’m reviewing the CD version of the album- this comes presented in a glossy digipak, featuring an at-the-controls-of-a-spacecraft cover art. It comes with a twelve-page inlay booklet, taking in illustrations of snow-bound worlds, red-eyed glowing feminine robots, UFOs over desert like planets, and imploding planets. Very much a nice mood/ tone setting package.
The album opens with the just over five and a half minutes of “There Is Still Danger There”. It moves from blends of pulsing and cascading synth craft and lightly echoed male spoken word. Onto churning rock groove & vocals- edge all manner of spacy wizzes, soars, and chants. Before slowing its pace to a mix of steady beats, mellowly layered guitar tone soar, and glowing ambience.
As we move through the album, we come to the just over nine minutes of “Changes (Burning Sons and Frozen Waste)”. It begins with a mix of moodily strummed/ clean guitar and sparkling synth weaves. Fairly soon, adding in building percussive chops, bright lead lines, and steadily bound rock groove, with moodier bass plod/ throb nicely counterbalancing the main more hopeful/ tuneful lead melody.
In the album's second half, we move from the jigging, strutting, and slow-building country rock meets spiralling space vibes of the title track. Onto the dense synth sear 'n’ swirl, meets bounding spaced punk rock churn of “Neutron Stars( Pulsating Light)”.
There Is No Space For Us is another consistent Hawkwind record. The band is retaining and celebrating its distinctive sound, yet adding in a few new interesting/ creative twists 'n’ turns.