Label: Cherry Red/Atomhenge Records
Release date: April 18, 2025
Production: Hawkwind
Album length:
Genre: Space Rock / Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
Of all the prog rock legends still active, the British space rock aliens Hawkwind are the most prolific, putting out at least one new studio album almost every year since 2016. In the last nine years, 2021 is the only one without a new record, and that’s if you count the ones released under the name Hawkwind Light Orchestra too. Still, it’s precisely these albums from the past ten or fifteen years that make up a stretch many fans have rightly dubbed the Hawkwind renaissance, since most of them strongly echo their golden creative era, the seventies, in both quality and sonic breadth.
Unlike most prog rock “old cats,” Hawkwind, led by the almost equally legendary guitarist, vocalist and producer Dave Brock, who turns 84 on August 20 this year, are far from washed up and still spring the occasional fresh musical idea on us. What’s more, each new studio album tends to be a pretty different story from the one before it.
That’s the case with “There Is No Space For Us,” their thirty-seventh studio album, which is quite a departure from its two or three studio predecessors. This time Hawkwind have slipped into a slightly tighter, arrangement-wise somewhat simpler shape, which doesn’t mean there are no “feature-length” instrumental space rock “disconnects” on the record. The cosmic journey through the Hawkwind galaxy kicks off with “There Is Still Danger There,” which packs all the trademark sonic ingredients of this space rock institution, including touches of psychedelic rock, proto-punk, electronic music, folk rock and hard rock.
“Space Continues (Lifeform),” laced with ethereal electronic patterns, comes off even more “spacey” than the opener. All the electronic effects, occasional jazzy arrangements and dual symphonic harmonies come courtesy of keyboardist Timothy Lewis, “captain” Brock and his “co-pilot,” guitarist/vocalist Magnus Martin. “The Co-Pilot” is also the title of the next track, where Hawkwind conjure up the most thrilling atmosphere so far, since it’s not hard to picture a lonely spaceship pilot cruising through the vast expanses of space. David Bowie would probably have loved this one too, especially during his “electronic” phase in the nineties. Too bad we’ll never get to hear the two team up.
“Changes (Burning Sun and Frozen Wastes)” is an unexpected, by Hawkwind standards distinctly melodic number, even though the instrumental sections, especially the rhythmic interplay, are once again at the expected, highly complex level. The title track impresses above all with its socially critical lyrics, which sneer bitterly at a deranged modern society that has found its new deities and idols in artificial intelligence, tech feudalists, transhumanists, post-fascists, and petty and mighty digital autocrats alike. “The Outer Region of the Universe” wins you over with its thick bass lines paired with subtle acoustic guitar passages and electronic waves, a combination that creates a truly “interstellar” mood.
“Neutron Stars (Pulsating Light),” with chieftain Brock on lead vocals, sounds, production aside, like a freshly unearthed Hawkwind relic from the first half of the seventies, one more fascinating proof of how this seasoned band can hop from its sonic present into the past and back again into the future. Every space adventure has to end sometime. The acoustic- and piano-driven instrumental “A Long Way From Home,” with its serene mood, makes for an ideal, safe and peaceful landing back on the home planet. The vinyl version of “There Is No Space For Us” includes two bonus tracks, “Practical Ability” and “Second Chance.”
With workaholic zeal, “Hawkwind” continue their astonishing run of excellent albums on “There Is No Space For Us,” proving that age is no obstacle to making good music. You could probably count on one hand the similar still-active bands from the golden age of progressive rock that can still come up with interesting, adventurous and unrecycled compositions. Of all the Hawkwind records released in the last five years, “There Is No Space For Us” is probably the most accessible, even for a would-be beginner explorer of their music, someone who has only heard of Brock and the gang through Lemmy and has no damn clue what space rock is.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. There Is Still Danger There
2. Space Continues (Lifeform)
3. The Co-Pilot
4. Changes (Burning Suns and Frozen Waste)
5. There is No Space For Us
6. The Outer Region Of The Universe
7. Neutron Stars (Pulsating Light)
8. A Long Long Way From Home
Line-up:
Dave Brock – guitar, vocals
Richard Chadwick – drums
Magnus Martin – guitar
Doug MacKinnon – bass guitar
Tim “Thighpaulsandra” Lewis – keyboards
