REVIEWS

desert song/bee song 7"
Matinée Recordings matinee 041

www.indiepages.com
US Web Site(December 2002)

"Two more great songs from Stephen Maughan (the man who brought us Bulldozer Crash and Denver) and Geoff Suggett (ex-Lavender Faction!). This brings their total number of released songs to five, including their two-song debut 7" on Firestation Tower and "Was It You?" from a Motorway compilation 7". Both songs have a laidback feel, similar to the Sugargliders or later Biff Bang Pow! Very good stuff, but let's hope their output grows exponentially soon... MTQ=2/2"

in love with these times in spite of these times
English Web Site(January 2003)

"the lucksmiths' labelmates kosmonaut are from the north east of england, as under represented in this fanzine as everywhere else, so we can but attempt to redress the balance by observing that following the anthemic firestation tower debut "days of ourlives", the spunky cd-r "in my head" and the welcome resurrection of "was it you ?" on the matinée summer sampler, "desert song" is a serene pop gem which laments how the years flow past with the same inevitability and indecent haste as the sandy landscape flies by the driver's near-side window. subtle and building carefully until the keyboards propel it into a particularly cracking fourth minute, it is probably their strongest outing yet. on the other side "bee song", again careful not to move too fast, sucks the listener in from its opening chords, again with keyboards that seem to slowly emerge, shimmering with longing, and an arrangement which recalls "life goes on"-era bmx bandits (not the first band to do so this month, we know) until it is slightly disfigured by an overbearing guitar line towards the end. like some of that bandits' stuff, the vocals on this two-track 7" occasionally give little hint of being british rather than american, but this is still road music at its finest, and the lingering sentiments of "desert song" in particular hang long in the mind."

erasingclouds
e-zine (january 2003)

Kosmonaut kick off their debut US release, a two-song 7", by taking you on a leisurely, relaxed drive out into the desert. The soundtrack to this drive is gently rising waves of synth behind a melodic guitar ballad about holding on to something in life. The B-side (titled "Bee Song," of course) throws some subtle electronic beats and an almost ferocious electric guitar into the mix, while offering an equally calming pop song about regret. Melancholy often goes down best with superbly crafted melodies and harmonies; these two songs are more proof of that.--dave heaton
www.erasingclouds.com

tangents
uk e-zine (February 2003)

More Matinée singles to track down would be the recent releases by Kosmonaut and The Liberty Ship. Kosmonaut offer us the delicious 'Desert Song' and 'Bee Song', both of which glint like silver strings in the Mojave.
www.tangents.co.uk

melodybar
Uk mail order (february 2003)

Rather lovely guitar pop with a touch of melancholy and a big heart, reminiscent of Aztec Camera.
Melody Bar

indiespinzone
us e- zine (april2003)

What a wistful and poignantly beautiful little record this is. The A side reminds me of a cross between say the musical sense of Fantastic Something and the vibe of Avocadoclub. Sort of groovy but ernest at the same time. And the second side is a bit more ballad like, but equally as emotive and melodic. There isn't much more to say. The record quality is great and so is the packaging and perhaps these two tracks may appear on the album if it happens but then again... If you get records, add this to your list. Another 2 track must have. Wowser. Label ~ Value: An eye opener for sure..
www.indiespinzone.com.....

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