Search - Metalunas :: X-Minus-One

Saturday Afternoon SCI-FI Fun

Henry R. Kujawa | "The Forbidden Zone" (Camden, NJ) | 08/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Brodie's specialty has been--more or less-- traditional instrumental guitar surfing music. Why mess with a good thing by adding neo-modern reinterpretations? X-MINUS-ONE is his 3rd album, and to date my fave of his. With The Metalunas he's plowing the same field as Man Or Astro-Man-- mixing guitar instros with 50's sci-fi space schlock. It's a fun mixture, and brings up memories of watching exciting (and often tacky) space films on Saturday afternoons. A few times on the album there are surprisingly long passages that could have come straight from even earlier RADIO shows, all adding to the effect. Among the highlights are "Shields Up!" (a cover of "Space Race" by The Hodads, also done by The Space Cossacks), "Blast Off!", and "Satellite Of Mystery", a quiet, moody piece that shows off Brodie's beautiful use of organ-- probably my favorite track here.I have to say I enjoy The Metalunas MORE than anything I've heard by M.O.A., and look forward to hearing the follow-up, SWINGIN' PLANET. For more, also check out THE SHORES OF HELL by Mark Brodie & The Beaver Patrol (1996) and ESPIONAGE GARAGE by The Saboteurs (1998-- also with Brodie). And if space-surf turns your knobs, be sure to check out The Space Cossacks' INTERSTELLAR STOMP and TSAR WARS, as well as Destination: Earth's TRAPPED IN HYPERSPACE (my #1 album of the year 2000!!) and ADVENTURES IN NEWSPACE (2001)."