Earthling Society — Stations of the Ghost
(4Zero FZ010, 2012, CD)
by Henry Schneider,
Published 2013-04-01

Earthling Society
is a UK psychedelic/space rock band that has been around for the past eight
years. They are also one of the bands
appearing regularly on Fruits de Mer singles and compilations.
Stations
of the Ghost is the band's sixth release of psych/space rock/krautrock
loveliness, featuring Fred Laird on guitar and vocals, Jon Blacow on drums and
percussion, Joe Orban on keyboards, Luis Gutarra on bass, and John Morgan on
guitar. The seven songs are a superb mixture
of instrumental and vocal tracks. Think
of small doses of
Meddle-era Pink
Floyd, krautrock, and raga rock dusted with a bit of Acid Mothers Temple and
you might begin to appreciate what you will hear when you spin this disc. There are no weak spots on this album, but
the band really shines on the two 13+ minute tracks, "Child of the Harvest" and
"Night of the Scarecrow." They sustain
the momentum throughout both songs by constantly shifting the mood, rhythms,
and instrumentation (electric vs. acoustic guitars). However, if you are a stickler for lyrics,
you may find it a bit of a challenge to understand Fred Laird as his vocals are
so far down in the mix as to be unintelligible at times, but that only adds to
the charm of the music. Overall, quite
an excellent release from a band that deserves much more attention.
Filed under: New releases, Issue 40, 2012 releases
Related artist(s): Earthling Society