Label: Cherry Red Records
Release date: April 28, 2023 (digital) / May 12, 2023 (CD, LP)
Production: Hawkwind
Album length: 68.58 min
Genre: Space Rock / Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.5/10
These days, plenty of the legendary prog rock bands from the golden era (the seventies) have long since split up, or did so recently (Pink Floyd, ELP, Rush, Gentle Giant, Procol Harum). Others haven’t dared to record anything new for at least two decades, for one reason or another (King Crimson, Genesis, Camel, The Moody Blues), or are just vegetating with studio efforts that are more or less pale shadows of their former greatness (Yes, Van der Graaf Generator, Focus). The ones that still surprise us now and then you can barely count on one hand (in the last few years, the pleasant surprises have mostly been Jethro Tull, Soft Machine, Caravan and Kansas). Among them, for quite a while now, you’ll find the indestructible English space rock legends Hawkwind, who have been pumping out mostly excellent, or “at least” very good, albums like there’s a bet on over the past decade. Since 2016 they’ve put out a new album almost every year (2022 was the exception), two of them under the name Hawkwind Light Orchestra, and none of it has dented their high creative standards in the slightest.
“The Future Never Waits” is the latest, already thirty-fifth, studio album from these space rock pioneers. Stylistically, it’s a full-on return to their unforgettable exploits from the experimental, creative golden era (the seventies). That means there’s no shortage of sprawling, psychedelic-tinged instrumental sections, futuristically seasoned sound effects, “far-out” solo passages, and the unmistakable voice of Hawkwind chief, guitarist and keyboardist Dave Brock. At 81, he’s one of the oldest and at the same time most revered patriarchs of progressive rock (he decided on a musical career relatively late, at 30, so even in his younger years he was seen as a sort of wise old geezer). Most of the lyrics take sarcastic jabs at our modern, digital, dystopian, robotized civilization, over which artificial intelligence is gaining more and more control.
Two years ago, Hawkwind “rejuvenated” themselves with a new keyboardist, Thighpaulsandra (real name Timothy Lewis), and bassist Doug MacKinnon. Plenty of people mourned the loss of longtime Hawkwind keyboardist Tim Blake, who has cult status among space rock fans, but on the previous album “Somnia” (2021, RockLine review), Thighpaulsandra already proved he’s a thoroughly worthy successor, an outstanding experimentalist and multi-instrumentalist on keyboards, especially synthesizers. You can hear it clearly right from the opening title instrumental, which, modern production aside, could just as well have been made back in the seventies. Besides space rock and psychedelia fans, it should also go down well with ambient music lovers, since a mostly meditative mood rules it, built on branching layers of synths, while occasional high-pitched sounds, most reminiscent of whale song, accompany the whole thing.
“The End,” a completely classic Hawkwind creation, could also have been made five decades ago, since besides “spacey” synth textures, it’s ruled by the proto-punk rhythms and raw guitar passages so typical of classic Hawkwind, with Brock’s instantly recognizable “dreamy” vocals commanding the whole thing. Next comes “Aldous Huxley,” a tribute to the famous English philosopher, visionary, writer and author of the first dystopian novel, “Brave New World.” This excellent instrumental, which has two completely different sonic faces, one space rock and one more symphonic, features recordings of Huxley’s monologues and dialogues. At a time when his visions, written down ninety years ago, are coming true, those recordings feel all the more shattering. The instrumental “They Are So Easily Distracted” is a big “up yours” to everyone who wrongly believes that, after more than five decades, Hawkwind can’t come up with anything innovative outside their usual “comfort zone” these days. It’s an interesting jazzy experiment with scattered sax and piano passages while futuristic synth curtains flow in the background.
“Ranma (The Prophecy),” with its melodic, almost epic chorus, sarcastically tackles an ancient prophecy and the arrival of the seventh avatar/reincarnation of Vishnu from the Hindu religion. This excellent piece is clear proof that Hawkwind, who over their history have created plenty of more accessible, more melodic and still superb standards like “Silver Machine,” “Urban Guerilla,” “Master of the Universe” and “Spirit of the Age” (to name just the most notorious), are still capable of writing a composition that’s accessible even to the more “casual” listeners, the ones who aren’t receptive to their mostly complex space rock experiments.
The instrumental “USB1” has dreamy synth textures, Brock’s trademark bluesy guitar passages and subtly timed tempo changes, which combine to create that “spacey” atmosphere so typical of Hawkwind. “Outside of Time” is a real space rock treat that sounds both “retro” and modern at once. Even though it’s a mostly instrumental piece that delivers a top-notch ambient “trip through space,” it has unexpected vocal bits in the closing section.
“I’m Learning to Live Today” is a genuine space rock experiment with plenty of unpredictable, psychedelic sections and an Oriental-flavored closing part with pentatonic/Arabic scales. The dark, melancholic “The Beginning” feels more like a farewell than a beginning and packs in a heaping helping of stylistic variety, which won’t surprise anyone who knows this legendary band’s eclectic back catalog well. “Trapped In This Modern Age” is a short but excellent closing treat with Mr. Brock in the lead role. Its title and lyrics are also a perfect description of how someone feels who, like Brock, has eight decades behind them and can’t keep up with the mostly negative, ridiculously rapid technological changes, and the social metamorphoses that come with them, of the modern age.
“The Future Never Waits” is one of the best Hawkwind albums made in the last two decades. It sounds like the band hopped in a time machine under Captain Brock’s command and went back to the seventies, while still keeping the songwriting chops and experience of the present. By the end of the year, Hawkwind may also go head to head with their fellow countrymen and peers Jethro Tull for the best album of 2023 by a legendary prog rock band. What the final verdict will be, and which effort ends up ranked higher, will depend on several factors. Hawkwind’s advantage is that in 2023 they sound practically the way they did in their best creative days, and they don’t worry one bit about how to bring their music closer to any of today’s trends.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. The Future Never Waits (10:15)
2. The End (4:10)
3. Aldous Huxley (4:37)
4. They Are So Easily Distracted (10:25)
5. Rama (The Prophecy) (8:29)
6. USB1 (3:56)
7. Outside of Time (7:37)
8. I’m Learning to Live Today (8:05)
9. The Beginning (8:21)
10. Trapped in This Modern Age (2:59)
Lineup:
Dave Brock – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Richard Chadwick – drums, vocals
Doug MacKinnon – bass guitar
Tim “Thighpaulsandra” Lewis – theremin, ‘synthaxe’
Magnus Martin – keyboards, guitar, vocals
