In their 75th issue special, Magnet Magazine has named The Moray Eels Eat the Space Needle as one of 75 Lost Classics, underappreciated albums that have graced their pages over the last 14 years.

Brainwashed

Described as a band that were overlooked and way ahead of their time, Space Needle sounds just like every band that never made it big but should have. This collection of recordings show that they were a talented bunch but if these songs are anything to go by, they are not all the hype makes them out to be.

There is an almost unhealthy mix of songs on this album, I say this because while I think it's great to hear a band who can change styles at a whim but equally it feels like Space Needle were wandering the musical landscape trying to find a unique sound. Unfortunately the liner notes for Recordings 1994-1997 don't specify when each individual song was recorded so it's impossible to tell from this document alone whether the change in styles was a progression or pure randomness. What the liner notes do make a big deal out of is how unlike their contemporaries Space Needle were. I think this is a gross exaggeration. Yes there are moments that made me think that they sounded like they knew what was to come in the new millennium. Most of the time they sound more like a band coming from the same area as their contemporaries but didn't get the break.

Songs like "Sun Don't Love Me" and "Old Spice" made me forget I was listening to a band that wasn't The Flaming Lips. Right down to the voice these songs sounded exactly like what The Flaming Lips were putting out around that time. That being said, the songs are extremely good, "Sun Don't Love Me" being a song that I'm likely to include in every mix CD I do for the foreseeable future. Equally there are songs that sound strikingly similar to Low and My Bloody Valentine. I'm not suggesting in any way that Space Needle are ripping anyone off or were part of a scene but I reject the validity of the hype surrounding them. There are plenty of solid songs like "One Kind of Lullaby" and "Never Lonely Alone" that although not ground breaking, they are highly enjoyable and well written.

However there are some tracks that stick out as being original. "Scientific Mapp" is a noisy affair that sounds like it was recorded yesterday. "(Untitled Duet)" and the opening track "Eyes to the World" both sound more modern than they are but not exactly mind blowing. As with the rest of the album, the songs are good but don't like up to all that I read about them over the last month or two.

Space Needle are not the new Velvet Underground, they are not going to be appreciated by newer audiences in any astonishing way. What Recordings 1994-1997 shows is a good American indie band with a slightly experimental edge that could have gone further than they did. It's nice to see an album like this and be exposed to a band I otherwise would never have heard of but I don't feel like my life is any better for it.  [John Kealy]

Creative Loafing

Emerging from the early/mid '90s, indie-rock, lo-fi explosion was Providence's Space Needle, the brainchild of Scarce drummer Jud Ehrbar who, joined by Jeff Gatland and, later, four-track auteur Anders Parker (of Varnaline), forged a promising legacy before side projects and an inept label, Zero Hour, toppled the Needle. Now, a decade after the fact, Recordings 1994 -- 1997 (Eenie Meenie) cherry-picks key cuts from the band's two albums along with a 45, live tracks and a video.

On 1995's Voyager, Ehrbar and Gatland could see-saw between winsome pop ("Eyes to the World") and droney prog ("Dreams") with the best of 'em. The dissonant, Suicide-like instrumental "Scientific Mapp," however, with its grinding loops and persistent distortion, also marked the pair as SFX fetishists deploying their noise-for-noise's-sake aesthetic. The Moray Eels Eat the Space Needle (1997) saw the arrival of Parker, and an actual studio budget meant that the group could experiment more with texture and nuance. "Love Left Us Strangers" is closer to lounge-jazz than rock, while the cinematic, dreamy "Old Spice" suggests a marriage of Yes and Mogwai. (Speaking of Yes, Roger Dean did the futuristic sleeve artwork for Moray Eels.)

Recordings 1994 -- 1997 may function as an epitaph for a not-quite-legend, but it also provides a window into a period of indiedom that's probably destined to be lost to the dustbin of history. Aside from Guided By Voices, Pavement and Sebadoh, it's unlikely that lo-fi's practitioners will be remembered in 20 years' time. Pity, though -- Space Needle had a hard-to-quantify charm. It's hard not to like a band that titles a 16-minute cosmic freakout, one replete with upper-neck, Hendrixian fretboard strangulations and a friggin' drum solo, "Where The Fucks [sic] My Wallet?" Here Jud, take mine -- you earned it.  [Fred Mills]

Recordings 1994-1997 is listed on the recommended albums of UK blog, Spoilt Victorian Child:

http://www.spoiltvictorianchild.co.uk/

SPACE NEEDLE Recordings 1994-97 (Eenie Meenie) cd 14.98
Space Needle were a strange bunch. Part of the mid-nineties indie rock scene, but only barely, something about them was just a little too weird, a complicated mix of pretty and creepy, a sonic world not immediately recognizable to the average Pavement fan or Yo La Tengo booster. Their sound was based not on guitar jangle but on strange rhythms and thick swaths of synthesizer. Probably had a lot to do with the fact that SN mainman Jud Ehrbar was a drummer. Vocals were appropriately indie sad boy style, from monotone Pavementy croon to reedy straining-to-hit-the-high-notes near falsetto, but they were dropped into totally alien landscapes. Those distinct vocals moped and dragged their feet amidst strange militaristic drum jams, thick washes of layered organs, serpentine low end synthbasslines, slithering and twisting chaotically beneath thick wheezing organ whir, strangely detuned guitars, strummed into hypnotic jangly jams over ultra simple motorik drumming, all the while, the vocals pushed WAY up in the mix, sort of languorous and deadpan, not so much drifting as sort of lazily shuffling. The melody almost entirely carried by the vocals (with occasional assistance from the synthesizer). The sound was definitely skeletal, often just vocals and drums, sometimes a simple throbbing bass line, but most of the tracks build to a massive climax, with guitars building into huge fuzzy drones, the synth lines getting more and more distorted, both swirling into thick squalls of blown out psychedelia.

At their heaviest, Space Needle almost sound like Loop or Spacemen 3, simple riffs repeated over and over, building a super hypnotic groove, while over the top, guitars and synths wrestle in a thick cloud of buzz and fuzz. But the rest of the time, they really sounded like no one else. Some tracks are just random sonic experiments, super washed out guitars or ultra distorted synths, locked into super hot, crumbling in-the-red, looped dirges. But the heart of Space Needle's sound was a hauntingly alien, lilting loping abstract indie rock, melancholy and super laid back, but also dark and slightly ominous. Phrases repeated over and over mantra like, the vocals almost sounding choral at moments, each track unfurling and taking its own sweet time as it ambles toward its inevitable end. A sonic allegory for the sadness and loss suffusing SN's whole sound.

This collection, gathers the best bits from Space Needle's two albums, and tacks on two live tracks, the best being a 15 minute long psych jam entitled "Where The Fucks My Wallet?", a live set staple that starts off all gentle guitar and builds into a wild sprawl of angular guitars and chaotic instrumental freakout, even a sort-of drum solo.

We sort of forgot how much we dug this band, but hearing these tracks again, man, they sound so fresh, and so fucking amazing, they've really held up well, unlike LOTS of their indie contemporaries. These tracks could just as easily be from some current experimental fucked up abstract noisepop cd-r band as a forgotten nineties indie rock outfit. Definitely enough jangle and sweet and sour melody to hit the spot for all you Blonde Redhead / Modest Mouse / Black Heart Procession / Yo La Tengo / Silver Jews indie rockers of today, but certainly fucked up enough to appeal to all you lovers of free noise and art rock weirdness as well, plus this is just the sort of record to give all those indierockphobes out there something to think about.

Includes liner notes, new artwork, and blurbs from the band about the recording of each track.
MPEG Stream: "Eyes To The World"
MPEG Stream: ""Dreams""
MPEG Stream: "Before I Lose My Style"

http://www.aquariusrecords.org/bin/search.cgi

Space Needle - Recordings 1994-1997
Well put together collection showcasing the work of this "forgotten" Long Island trio.
by Spence D.

September 8, 2006 - If you were around during the tail-end of the indie rock boom in the mid-to-late '90s, back when indie rock meant that a band was on an independent label, not how their music sounded, you might recall a little trio from the East Coast called Space Needle (I know, the name would imply that the band was from Seattle, but such is not the case).

The members of SN, two of whom would later form 2/3 of the nucleus of Varnaline, came together in 1994 under the guidance of one Jud Ehrbar and Jeff Gatland. They released Voyager in 1995. Anders Parker joined soon after and the band released their sophomore (and final) album, The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle in 1997. For those who may have learned about SN from a friend or digging around on the Net for cool soniference and have been having trouble finding their two long-out-of-print albums, then this single disc compilation is a nice endeavor to wrap your ears around. Those who already own the band's two full-lengths and several 12 and 7-inch releases may find the whole exercise a little repetitive, albeit quite nostalgic.

The sound of SN is a wonderful crossbreed of lo-fi prog, basement bred ambient, and clattering noise. This is expertly showcased on "Eyes To The World," the first track on the compilation and a song that was originally featured on Voyager. Speaking of which, of the 14 tracks included on this set, six come from the aforementioned Voyager, five come from The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle, and three are B-sides/outtakes. So all in all, this is a pretty well-rounded introduction to the band and their music.

Additionally, the album more or less flows in chronological order, at least for the first eight tracks, then it mixes it up with a couple selections from the first album, a couple selections from the second and so forth. As for the styles exhibited, things shift from stripped down, grunge encrusted "acoustic" foil like "Before I Lose My Style" and bass driven melancholy like "Never Lonely" to borderline unbearable noise curl and vertiginous feedback fare like "Scientific Mapp" and "(Untitled Duet)" and raging squonk expeditions such as "Where The F@..k's My Wallet At?" The tracks culled from Moray tend to lean toward the cleaner, clearer, less abrasive side of the band's sound, though they often mix the clatter of indefinable fuzz with saddened melodies to create cross-breed songs like "Old Spice," which drift with resigned detachment, the lonely boy vocals riding high on a wave of dissonance and conflicted pain. Oh yeah, the track "One Kind Of Lullaby" might just be the most heartbreakingly beautiful song you've heard in a long, long, long time.

Perhaps the most evident thing you will take away from this collection is a clear concept of where the seeds for Varnaline (which consisted of Ehrbar, Parker, and his brother John) were planted. That group, which arose from the ashes of Space Needle, continued to mine the intersection of quietude and clamor, but from a more roots oriented folk focal point than the prog rock orientation Space Needle was more akin to glomming on to.

When all is said and done Space Needle: Recordings 1994-1997 is a good introduction to the music of Ehrbar and Parker and a solid starting point for those willing to discover their subsequent output under the monikers Varnaline and Reservoir.

Definitely Download:
1. "Eyes To The World"
2. "Dreams"
3. "Sun Doesn't Love Me"
4. "Before I Lose My Style"
5. "Old Spice"
6. "One Kind Of Lullaby"
IGN's Ratings for Recordings 1994-1997

out of 10
8.2 OVERALL


http://music.ign.com/articles/731/731863p1.html

Friday, October 27, 2006
Space Needle

Space Needle was an early to mid 90's group who created noise induced ballads complemented by low-fi recordings. They only put two full-length records out in their time and were somewhat shortlived, but "Space Needle Recordings 1994-1997," released on Eenie Meenie Records back in May 2006, is attempting to shed light on the recordings which were nearly doomed to obscurity due to them being out of print.

Here's the somewhat rare until recently video for the song "Before I Lose My Style" which appears on the record and is about as lo-fi as their recordings.

Links:
Space Needle - Official
Purchase Space Needle Recordings 1994-1997 at Insound

posted by Allison @ 6:34 PM

http://greenclothes.blogspot.com/

SKYSCRAPER 22...REVIEWS REISSUES

SPACE NEEDLE
Recordings 1994-1997 CD - Tractor Beam/Eenie Meenie
The Flaming Lips' Transmissions from the Satellite Heart came out before Space Needle started their musical endeavor, and it's entirely possible that some of that album influenced Space Needle's early work. Oddly enough, a lot of early Space Needle sounds as though it could have had a hand in influencing the more recent efforts of The Flaming Lips. That aside, Space Needle have been cited as a precuror to such groups as Black Dice and Animal Collective, and I can agree with that statement. The strange thing about it is the fact that they were, A) doing it 10 years ago and, B) using regular instruments to achieve the sounds. Rather than using the electronics that Black Dice uses, they clip the drums to distortion and use massive amounts of pedals (well, Black Dice does that too) to get droning, fuzzy sounds from their guitars. Recordings is a great retrospective of a band that hardly anyone knew of when they were around, but whose music sounds as though it should have been made now. They were making music that was confusing small bars and clubgoers because it was just 10 years ahead of itself. (John Vogel)

June 2006
Space Needle
Recordings 1994-1997
Eenie Meenie Records



Combing ballads with a funky sound certainly is unorthodox but it does create an unforgettable and unparalelled style, and Space Needle has the talent to pull it off. Unfortunately though, the band has been in relative obscurity since the original releases of their previous albums. That is until now. Space Needle has returned from hibernation to release the album Recordings 1994-1997 just for the fans. And for all you newcomers make sure to listen to the standout track "Before I Lose My Style." If you like Guided By Voices and the Animal Collective check out this retrospective and make it a part of your indie collection. - LD

Experimental music often sucks, with structure, melody and emotion being anathema to goateed poseurs. But in the mid-'90s, the experimental Space Needle - Jeff Gatland, Jud Ehrbar (Reservoir) and, later, Anders Parker (Varnaline) - kept a healthy distance from the crap end of the avant-garde spectrum. Whether engaging in four-track knobbery, skronky prog jams or lo-fi pop gems, the band always exuded a vibe that both enchants and saddens. Detractors will call the sound plodding and indulgent. The enlightened will call it hypnotizing and transcendent. In fact, "Before I Lose My Style" and "Never Lonely Alone" are so haunting and poignant they would fit snugly on a David Lynch soundtrack. Recordings 1994-1997 compiles choice cuts from the brief history of a group that deserves to be rediscovered. Bonus Material: A video for "Before I Lose My Style." [Eenie Meenie/Tractor Beam, www.eeniemeenie.com]

-Eric Bensel
(NO. 72 JUL/AUG 2006)

Space Needle
Recordings 1994-97 (Eenie Meenie)
By Andrew Marcus
Article Published Jun 1, 2006

Music Details
Who / What:
Space Needle
Recordings 1994-97
Music Genre:
Rock/Pop


Suggesting that the drifty comedown years of the Alternative Nation are actually as deep a trove of great, forgotten bands as any period, this document of the New York trio Space Needle unearths a noise-pop band as serious about its pop as its noise. The opening "Eyes to the World" is an evenly matched contest between melody and obscurity sentimental West Coast pop harmonies and scrupulous marching-band drum corps. On "Old Spice," you'll just make out the soulful power-pop in the downpour of static behind a shower curtain of flange. But the album's straighter offerings, forgoing such crafty juxtaposition, are just plain beautiful; most pop described as ethereal would be more aptly called gaseous, but "One of a Kind Lullaby" and "Before I Lose My Style" truly inhabit the stratosphere.

http://www.pitch.com/Issues/2006-06-01/music/listen.html