Label: Cherry Red Records
Release date: 10. 9. 2021
Production: Hawkwind
Album length: 62.53 min
Genre: Space Rock / Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
“Somnia” is the 34th studio album from the indestructible English space rockers Hawkwind, and their first with two new members: keyboardist Thighpaulsandra (real name Timothy Lewis, and yes, that’s his stage name) and bassist Doug MacKinnon. The new logo on the cover tells you right away that this is the start of a new era for the British space rock veterans, now led by the eighty-year-old guitarist/vocalist Dave Brock. The previous logo had been around since the album “Blood of the Earth” (2012), basically the whole stretch when bassist/keyboardist Niall Hone was in the band. Somnia was the name the ancient Romans gave to the many sons of Somnus, the god of sleep. And even though the album is packed with meditative, ethereal ambient moments, “Somnia” is anything but sleepy.
In many ways it’s a very eclectic and experimental record, made exactly the way the longtime fans want it, and Mr. Brock and company haven’t let them down in a very long time. Dave is once again the lead vocalist, with longtime drummer Richard Chadwick and guitarist Magnus Martin, who’s been in the band since 2016, stepping up to the mic now and then. After a long while, “Somnia” is a mostly instrumental album, if you don’t count the rare vocal turns and narrations. Thighpaulsandra is a versatile keyboardist and a veteran of ambient and electronic music, so it’s no surprise that most of the tracks on “Somnia” sag under the weight of all kinds of electronic effects and futuristic synth textures.
The space voyage kicks off with “Insomnia”, an epic-length piece marked by Brock’s unmistakable voice, tons of electronic effects, fun rhythmic interplay and a cunning build-up of atmosphere. Without the modern production, you could easily think this track came out of the early seventies, when Brock was still a young man and the legendary Lemmy Kilmister, long gone now, was in the band. On “Strange Encounters” Hawkwind remind listeners, with white-hot guitar passages amid chaotic electronic effects and frenzied rhythms, why plenty of hard rock and even metal fans hold them in such high regard. The colorful vocal harmonies stand out here, and the balance between rhythmic chaos and psychedelic effects is just right to bring back some of the best moments in this cult band’s story.
“Alcyone”, whose title refers to the brightest star in the Pleiades constellation, is the perfect contrast to the previous track, with its meditative ambient and focus on acoustic guitar. In many ways it’s one of the album’s highlights. “Counting Sheep” references Philip K. Dick’s literary masterpiece ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’, which was later turned into the famous film ‘Blade Runner’. The track, which doesn’t skimp on eclectic electronic patterns and unexpected time changes, is pretty much the perfect hybrid of the eccentric-chaotic and the meditative-serene sides of this indestructible band. The individual songs don’t have a lot of lyrics, but where they do, you can’t miss the dominant sci-fi theme.
“China Blues”, a true incarnation of cosmic psychedelia, is marked in its opening section by futuristic waves of sound and wah-wah guitar. “It’s Only a Dream” wins you over with its ethereal harmonies and richly ambient synth textures. With its Indian-flavored ambient ‘aftertaste’, “Meditation” would probably have got the nod from George Harrison, were he still alive, even though there’s no sitar on it. “Sweet Dreams” is a short instrumental with plenty of psychedelic effects and an ominous narration, where the ambient vibe of Victorian England meets cyberpunk futurism.
“I Can’t Get You Out of My Head” would probably have come out as a single in the seventies, since it’s by far the most melodic piece on “Somnia”, thanks to a hypnotic chorus sung by Dave. “Small Objects in Space” will thrill all fans of ambient ‘space trips’ with a pinch of typical English eccentricity, and then catch a few people off guard with a slightly jazzy closing section. “Pulsestar” is a short instrumental that’s over before it really begins.
“Barkus”, on the other hand, is one of the album’s ambient and experimental peaks, built around a melancholy guitar solo that should appeal to plenty of fans of the unforgettable Pink Floyd. If you try to dig up a deeper meaning for the word barkus in your web browser, you’ll be disappointed to find the results are dominated by dog names and a character from some Filipino fantasy telenovela. “Somnia” closes with “Cave of Phantom Dreams”, a final space voyage ‘into the unknown’ and another track that will delight older and slightly younger fans of Hawkwind’s music alike.
At eighty, progressive rock icon Dave Brock is still the steady captain of the Hawkwind spaceship on this latest studio outing, a ship that’s been flying through space at undiminished power for more than fifty years. “Somnia” is one more in a string of great albums that the space rock champions have been turning out over the past decade without any major dips in quality. There’s just the right amount of experimentation and psychedelic tripping to keep all the longtime faithful happy, while the excellent production and a welcome refresh on the keyboards make sure Hawkwind still sound relevant in the 21st century.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Unsomnia (10:20)
2. Strange Encounters (6:33)
3. Alcyone (5:28)
4. Counting Sheep (3:24)
5. China Blues (7:22)
6. It’s Only a Dream (3:17)
7. Meditation (4:19)
8. Sweet Dreams (2:19)
9. I Can’t Get You Off My Mind (3:57)
10. Small Objects in Space (5:06)
11. Pulsestar (1:43)
12. Barkus (4:45)
13. Cave of Phantom Dreams (4:12)
Line-up:
Dave Brock – vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizers
Richard Chadwick – drums
Magnus Martin – bass guitar, vocals, keyboards
Mel Rogers – backing vocals
Trixie Smith – backing vocals
