Øresund Space Collective’s form of space rock is always improvised. That means the music at times wanders along the lines of jam music. Of course, much space rock and jam band sounds aren’t that far removed. This particular release is split into the three separate tracks, but really it’s all linked together and all titles are the same, just with the part (1, 2 or 3) added to the end. For that reason, I’d say you could look at this as one long track. It’s a slowly moving beast, but that’s typical of the genre. Of course, comparisons to Hawkwind are appropriate, but this music goes in other directions, too. This might be my favorite release from OSC, and that says a lot.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011  Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Rising up gradually, keyboards and a driving bass dominate the early portions of this piece. It slowly becomes more hard rocking and waves of Hawkwind like sounds are heard over the top. There are some serious science fiction oriented moments as this continues to build. Then, around the five minute mark or so, it drops down a bit to something resembling the early era of Hawkwind. By about the ten minute mark it’s morphed into almost a Hendrix meets space rock kind of jam with some noisy, psychedelically inspired guitar soloing. This eventually glides straight into the next number.

Fiery, hard rocking space music with some fusion built in creates the concept as this comes out of the previous piece. It modulates downward a bit with keyboards driving it in an almost Tangerine Dream goes Hawkwind sound. Around the one minute mark, though, it drops to a very stripped back arrangement. Waves of space build on top as this continues to surge forward. By around the five and a half minute mark it slows drastically into an almost space rock goes blues approach that’s killer. As they continue to rework the number it works closer to a psychedelic jam band sort of element. Some hot guitar soloing occurs before the ten minute mark. Then it drops way down to a stripped down, extremely slow moving arrangement to continue. A more energized drum beat comes up around the ten and a half minute mark and some rather Doors-like keyboards are heard as the band begin to ramp things back up. Some cool guitar soloing is heard as this continues. The pace continues to rise and by the thirteen minute mark it’s crossed into near fusion as the guitar continues to scream overtop. It works to more hard rock sounds from there.  The space elements start to dominate again by the fourteen and a half minute mark. Within a minute it’s modulate to some mellower space weirdness that’s quite a bit like Hawkwind. Percussion drives hard around the sixteen and a half minute mark with waves of keyboard washing over the top. A cool space groove has taken over within the next minute or so. It continues evolving gradually, but by the twenty two minute mark a pulsing sort of space rock has taken over. That leads to the outro.