Space Farm

Rising out of the ashes of Midnight Oil, Hunters & Collectors, and the Violent Femmes, The Break are rock royalty.

With Rob Hirst on Drums, Martin Rotsey on Guitar, Brian Ritchie on Bass, Jack Howard on Trumpet and Jim Moginie on Guitar, Theramin, Keys (and also the Producer), the all-star band deliver a solid second release in Space Farm, showcasing each member’s unique and diverse musical capabilities.

A predominantly instrumental affair, the record keeps in tradition with the group’s first release, Church Of The Open Sky, providing a healthy dose of surf guitar, peppered throughout with some unmistakable Oil-esque undertones.

An eclectic sound, the record has a strong anthemic feel delivering some well balanced and familiarly memorable tracks in “Majestic Kelp” and “Whatever Dumb Courage”, while “Day 300”, interlaced with trumpet, stretches beyond the reach of a purist surf rock sound, giving it a distinctive south of the border feel.

A curious inclusion is “Ten Guitars” featuring Englebert Humperdinck. The only track on the record to have a true vocal feature, it appears misplaced, delivering the listener back the time of its original release in 1967, which appears at odds with the remainder of the forward moving and futuristic sound of the record.

Similarly puzzling in its presence, the intermittent chanting of the words ‘Space Farm’ on the title track, which detracts somewhat from the clear instrumental intent of the record.

Listeners will likely forgive the mixed messages Space Farm conveys, and enjoy it for the psychedelic surf rock sound it embodies.