It is little wonder that Spacehog originated in New York despite the fact that all of its members are from Leeds, England. They would certainly be outcasts in the current musical climate back home: despite their indiscrete references to David Bowie (musical, lyrical, and otherwise), Spacehog most often sound like a Vegas lounge version of Guns N' Roses.
Singer Royston Langdon's voice is a dead ringer for Axl Rose's, not the screechy "Paradise City" Axl but the lower "Mr. Brownstone" Axl. And like Axl in either range, Langdon uses exagerrated vibrato.
Resident Alien is shamelessly retrospective. The atmosphere of the project is like a Hanoi Rocks Revival Orchestra. The band's themesong, cleverly entitled "Spacehog," pulls from Bowie's "Major Tom," while the opening "look out!" on "Candyman" evokes Bowie's "Suffragette City" with all the erotic subtlety of a flasher.
There are a number of inescapably catchy power-glam songs on the record, particularly on the second side. Points of interest include "Only a Few," a wonderful cross of Prince, glam, and, er, Guns N' Roses. "The Last Dictator" could be a collaboration between Bowie, Tom Petty, and, er, Guns N' Roses.
Resident Alien was put to tape in the same studio as Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell. This may be an attempt to excuse the bloated, recycled cabaret of Spacehog - preemptorily heading off criticism by labelling the record intentionally ironic. That is, forcing the substitution of a description like "camp" for a possibly more apt adjective like "crap."
The band has chosen wisely in relocating to the States, a move that should allow them to become huge for two reasons. First, few Americans revere early Bowie; and second, Axl started layering his low voice with his high-pitched howl after the beloved first record, perhaps leaving a craving.
