Hawkwind “Silver Machine”


Space rock.

What comes to mind?

Trippy synthesizer bloops and bleeps layered over drum machines and programmed hi-hats? Maybe some ambient wind sounds? But it's "space ROCK" so there's got to be some guitars and bass in there too right?

Hawkwind might as well have been the founders of "space rock". Starting from the collaboration of artists with a mutual interest in "electronic music", the band had formed and had help from other notable musicians such as Ginger Baker, who founded the little band called Cream, and even Ian Kilmister, or as most people know him by, Lemmy, the founder of Motorhead, who played bass in Hawkwind for sometime.

Their music ranges from psychedelic to even instances of folk. But there was always a sci-fi nod and "space" theme. Like"Silver Machine" one of their most renowned singles, all of their songs explored the subjects of space, time, and other sci-fi topics.

From the start of "Silver Machine" it's easy to tell its got a "space" environment. The song starts with what sounds like a communication transmission that blurs into a windy atmosphere. The guitar riff blends in as the wind takes you along.

I love the simple and blatant direction of the song.

"I, just took a ride, in a silver machine"

There's no subtle underlying concepts or subject matter... just a song about simply traveling through space in a "silver machine".

Genius! The album artwork is pretty dope too. Hope you enjoy!






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Benoit Pioulard “A Coin on the Tongue”

Image
I have always loved this song. The happy acoustic guitar and the ambient wind noises. The atmosphere of the song alone is almost just as good as the warm vocals and percussion. " Say hello to the end, and its big fucking, jack-o-lantern grin" I can't help but interpret this song as another avenue of dealing with life's shit. " Blackened nails and acumen,  Lacerated fists full of arrowheads,  Arid bones and hollow men,  Lie down on marrow beds" Putting forth the effort of staying alive and pursuing happiness all for the same inevitable end...death. Might as well enjoy it while we are here right?
Read more

Gorillaz “Dirty Harry”

Image
Damon Albarn and his pack of “Gorillaz” have always been a mysterious crew. Appearing as cartoons that appear in early all of their videos, they have maintained a rather elusive career. Their music has tackled many genres in the past and present but has always kept close to a hip hop, beat driven effort. You might recall their massive early 2000’s hit that featured Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, " Clint Eastwood "; a timeless song that introduced many people to Gorillaz, including myself. Here we have another “Clint Eastwood” referenced song called “Dirty Harry”. I’m not sure if there is some sort of fascination with Clint Eastwood or if he just happened to pop up again in a later song but the use is intriguing. The song, which many believe has a strong reference to the war in Iraq during the Bush years, is a fun and funky beat driven song, regardless of the undertones. “ I need a gun, to keep myself among, the poor people burning in the sun " the lone Damon Abarn sing
Read more

Aesop Rock “None Shall Pass”

Image
My sisters and I drove together to our parents' house for Christmas this year. On our way back we reminisced about the drives to and from school when I had to drop them off when I started driving. They had to suffer through all of my weird music and mix CDs . As we talked more they recalled one song, however, that they always enjoyed and still remember to this day; "None Shall Pass" by Aesop Rock. Aesop Rock, or Ian Matthias Bavitz, is a hip-hop artist with lyrics and flow so intellectually on point, you can't help but feel intimidated at times.Aesop was even named the rapper with the highest vocabulary in all of hip-hop; the rapper with the most unique words out of all of his music. "None Shall Pass" has every indication of this too. The first verse, " Flash that butter gold, jittery zeitgeist "starts things off with no leniency. As much as I hate to say it...I honestly have no idea what this song is about. My only guess can be that of th
Read more