The Martians have returned, not the troublesome ones beloved of sci-fi writers, the funky ones. We met them before and partied with them a few months ago when that encounter was recorded and released as a single. Now they are back, accompanied by two other cosmic tunes courtesy of Zachary Mason.
Being a Guildford man, Zarchary Mason will be all too familiar with H.G.Wells tall tale of a visitation from the red planet, which took place a few miles up the road in Horsell Common, which, as we know, didn’t go so well. Here, he updates and reverse engineers the story.
Title track “5…4…3…2…1…” sees humans fleeing a dying earth, dying due to the irresponsibility and unchecked greed of humanity. But, despite such a dark start to the EP, the song is surprisingly upbeat and sonically chipper, a groovy slice of psychedelic rock that balances a grinding rhythmic guitar with chiming riffs, setting the scene perfectly.
When they land on Mars, they encounter its denizens. After accidentally hitting the wrong switch and turning the radio on instead of the guns, their new aquaintances are so impressed with the sound that a party ensues. Heavy grooves and rock vibes act as the shin-dig’s soundtrack, the vocals feel like a spoken word broadcast, and Martian Funk becomes a genre!
This three-track space opera is rounded off with “Earthsick,” a Bowie-esque astro-ballad that oozes with whistfulness and melancholy as the colonizers begin to miss their home.
It’s a clever tale, one that runs from the triumph of technology to the joyful colonization of the solar system to the sad realization of what humanity has done. It’s a warning. We hear so often about how one day, space travel will be our salvation…but at what cost? The irony being that in our rush to harness such technology, we might actually destroy the only planet we have ever called home in the process.
We don’t seem to be heeding the word of the scientists, so maybe musicians should have a go.
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