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THE SPACE COSSACKS
Tsar Wars (MuSick Recodings)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Could they possibly follow a debut like Interstellar Stomp? Could they even come close to that instrumental magic act? Yes and yes. Washington D.C.'s Space Cossacks have most certainly done it again with Tsar Wars. No sophomore jinx here. Every song has a distinct and memorable melody, and all kinds of atmosphere. Ivan Pongracic's guitar playing, previously thought to be as good as it could possibly get, has somehow improved. That's like making the universe bigger! It's mind boggling.
The Cossacks' spectrum of sound is wide. There are exciting tunes that fly at heart-pounding speeds over breathtakingly beautiful musical vistas, and then there are gorgeous, slow tunes of surreal beauty, such as Pongracic's "The Jewel Of Duende." What's so amazing, and one of the things that sets The Space Cossacks apart from other bands, is that every song, regardless of tempo or theme, drips with class. As you listen, you're acutely aware that they are the best there is, plain and simple.
Pongracic's band mates always sounded confident and mature in their playing, but they, too, have turned it up a notch, coming up with musical perfection again and again on this album. Catherine Gray (bass) and Doug Hoekstra (drums) must've lost ten pounds each making this album, because they were MOVIN'! Guitarist Mark English remains the perfect match for Pongracic. Playing guitar alongside a player like Ivan Pongracic, there's always the danger of becoming the invisible man, but English seems undaunted by the task, making his own statement by offering up some of the most complex and intoxicating rhythms for songs that couldn't have survived without them.
A few other surprises on Tsar Wars should be mentioned here. Nocturnes sax man Jim Frias turns up for "Beyond The Third Star," an intense and dramatic tune that picks up where his own band's "Third Star To The Left" left off. Another surprise is in the liner notes, as MuSick Recordings honcho Art Bourasseau is credited with co-writing a pair of tunes, "Exolumina" and "Sea Of Tranquility." Wasn't expecting that! What isn't a surprise is that this Space Cossacks album will almost certainly be on my Top-5 list at the end of the year, just like their debut release was. There are some excellent bands still catching waves in the surf scene, but none of them are in this class. It's the difference between a good movie and a classic. The Space Cossacks are the Casablanca of surf.
© 2000 - DJ Johnson