In the realm of psych-pop-shoegaze dreampop with reverb-coated surf-space rock, one name stands out: and that is Space Waves. Having travelled those far horizons since 2008, the Portland, Oregon trio are back once more with new album ‘Delusion Days’.
And what a splendid piece of work it is, with the title track ‘Delusion Days’ with Kelley Bourland seemingly summoning his inner Paul Draper from Mansun, this is even more apparent on the track ‘Wishes Turned Away’, with some of the sweeping drama of that fine band, almost a lost track tat could easily reside on ‘Attack Of The Grey Lantern’. This is a good thing, by the way, as Mansun were one of my favourite bands of the time. With Sarah’s more distant, sparse vocals contrasting splendidly, this is an album that will find you soaring, sweeping, traversing, feeling slightly delirious, before finally relenting and letting you Come Down Easy, as Spacemen 3 once proffered, when closing track ‘The Score’ softly lays you on the ground after a scintillating ride.
The songs here delve deep into philosophy, with the passage of time, the transient nature of our place within that framework, the sense of self, the question of purpose, the futility of trying to surpass the void…alongside the more down-to-earth reality of living in a fast-moving, unrelenting city where car culture rules the roost, as you see everyone driving around seemingly aimlessly. As if this wasn’t enough, along comes the overtly political ‘Delusion Days’, with the band giving their withering view on the state of the world currently.
After the gritty realities of life and the abrasive nihilism of politics, the album takes a welcome diversion into the softer side of the band, with ‘Landfill’ waxing lyrical in poeticising the concept of trash. ‘Drift Away’ is as it would suggest, a dreamy lament on pushing away the unrelateable, as we cannot really know anyone like we seemingly know ourselves. This wonderful, emotional, sometimes difficult journey finally ends with a man looking back on his life as the end nears, wondering where he stacks up as his experiences become so many memories…as the end of ‘The Score’ finally dissipates into the ether, as a metaphor for life coming to an end. The song is strangely uplifting, paradoxically, sad yet joyous.
All in all a fine album. With the band not afraid to explore avenues most would not deign to venture down…
Here is the Bandcamp page to purchase the digital album…
My shoegaze site 