Roger Dean: who can forget his classic album covers for the Yes albums Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans and Relayer? Apparently the guys in Space Needle can't. They've not only unearthed Dean to produce the some nifty cover art for their sophomore Zero Hour release The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle, they've actually added relevance to the prog-rock genre with 10 songs that make sense. Even the instrumentals.
Take the 13-minute opener "Where the Fucks My Wallet." It begins calmly, like your typical day might. But somewhere along the way you realize something has gone horribly wrong. You've lost your most prized possession, the thing that holds your ID, you credit cards, your CASH! Just about then you explode in fit of rage, panic and disbelief. The song does, too. Taking just the slightest hint from the opening guitar line, Jeff Gatland's axe erupts so violently, you'll think someone's twisted your volume all the way right. The song slips jaggedly from progressive to avant garde, and at the 13-minute mark it still hasn't made its way back to that serene beginning. It never does.
If you've lost your wallet, listen to this song before you start looking for it. It might be the most cautionary rock instrumental of the '90s. At the very least, you'll be ready when all those emotions boil over. If you've never lost your wallet (trust me, you don't want to), listen to this song so you'll know what your friends are going through.
Of course, The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle is more than one song about lost possessions. For all the opening track's complexities, there's the simple beauty of "Never Lonely Alone," penned by drummer/keyboardist Jud Ehrbar, the King Crimson chops of "Hot For Krishna" and the Led Zeppelin noodling of "Hyapatia Lee." "Krishna" features guest violinist Max Buckholtz sounding a little like late, late night at a spaced out Kansas tribute (the band, not the state). And "Hyapatia Lee" opens with Buckholtz displaying what the opening bars of Zeppelin's "In The Evening" should have sounded like. The song eventually gives a nod to Pink Floyd circa Umma Gumma, but David Gilmore never sounded like that on guitar.
The true gems on the album are written by Ehrbar, the soundscape designer behind another Zero Hour act known only as Reservoir. They have a slightly damaged basement feel, which will keep the fans of Space Needle's low-fi debut happy. But they also take full advantage of newly added guitarist Anders Parker and the sonic possibilities of a real studio.
Parker, by the way, contributes another of the album's fine moments (or six moments and 11 seconds, as it were) with the closing track "One Kind of Lullaby."
There are plenty of 1970s progressive influences here, so naming Dean captain of the design team is a smart move. But what really sets Space Needle apart is its way of making progressive music that people who have been through the punk revolution and everything that came its wake, including low-fi, can understand.
I never understood a single Yes song completely and after hearing The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle I'm a little upset I tried for so long.
