Last year we marveled at the “Happy-go-fuzzy blender of sound” contained on Spaceships' Cool Breeze Over The Mountains, inducting it into the cannon of California garage rock. With the vinyl pressing sold out, Gnar Tapes is taking a crack at the re-issue, extending the record with the bonus track “In The Sun”.
Originally released on Mock Records, Cool Breeze Over The Mountains creatively mused on topics abundant in garage rock like ghosts, beaches, and dreams, and those limited in the spectrum like wizards, specifically Gandalf. The bonus cut, “In The Sun”, fits into the record's conceptual core as Jesse Waite sings “everything is nice sitting on a mountain under the sun” as though the cool breeze from the album's title is an unspoken presence. Initially the track seems to play right into California's sun worship idealism, but Waite notes that while the sun is comforting, it has an evil brother in the night that brings uncertainty and loneliness.
In Spaceship's bio Jesse and drummer Kevin LaRose claim the album title is the Hawaiian translation of Keanu. If there's any truth to that (we couldn't find a Hawaii name translator), it adds a level of metaphor you won't get from a Best Coast track about the sun, mountains, and good living. Suddenly the sun Jesse sings about has a duality, suggesting Keanu Reeves isn't as harmless as many perceive him to be. It's something to consider the next time you get a laugh from the Keanu is sad meme.
Spaceships' Cool Breeze Over The Mountains is out May 20 on Gnar Tapes.
Spaceships are on tour:
April
03 Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s
04 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
05 Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
06 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
08 St. Louis, MO @ The Demo
10 Champaign, IL @ Mike N Molly’s
11 Chicago, IL @ Township
13 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
16 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
18 Salt Lake City, UT @ Bar Deluxe
