Album Details

• Artist: The Time And Space Machine
• Album: Set Phazer To Stun
• Label: Trik
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2010-03-07

Richard Norris has been a fixture on the UK Psych scene for a long time, both in Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve and in a series of short Time And Space Machine releases. This self-titled effort is not only the first full-length under the latter moniker, but it is also Young's first trip solo, playing all the instruments and producing.  Norris himself calls the effort a hi fi sci-fi adventure... set phazer to stun..." There is much that is stunning, in fact.

Droning soundscapes give way to fuzzy guitars, waves of sonic washes that are abrasive here, meditative there, Krautrock tribute there. At times,  Norris builds off of one motif, as on the epic squall of "Zetighost," while on other tracks, like "Midsummer Night" and "Children of the Sun," feel like confluences of influences. Norris also  experiments with church organ ("Path Thru The Cathedral"), sitar ("Mushroom Family") and giving a cover his abundant treatment. His cover of Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush"  is not as passionate or a effective as other tracks, and is thus disappointing as a closer, but it is notable for guest vocals by Raissa from The Mummers.

The Time and Space Machine is as apt a name for this project as is possible. Robert Norris is an explorer, using sound to find other sounds in the universe to play with.

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