Fuxa - Covered in Stars LP (picture disc)
Fuxa - Covered in Stars LP (Rocket Girl/UK)
Limited edition of 500 vinyl LP Picture Disc in a printed sleeve.
*Notes/Mood written by Erin O*
Listening Notes: Psychedelic space rock band Füxa — pronounced "fuchsia," like the color— is back with Covered in Stars, its first effort in over half a decade.
Like previous Füxa releases, Covered in Stars is a tumbling array of kraut-y songs that brings the minimalist melodies and locked grooves of Kraftwerk, Neu!, Harmonia, and Cluster into a new era, with references to the atmosphere of early synth-and-guitar punk acts like Suicide and Second Layer and some homage to the twinkling bleep bloops of electronic music pioneers like Mort Garson. There are nods, too, to the band's early contemporaries, Broadcast and Stereolab, bands that, like Füxa, combine electronic music with traditional rock instruments like guitar, in thoughtful ways.
Füxa's been around since the 1990s, with Randall Nieman the only continuing core member. This time around, he’s brought members of Add N to (X), The Belltower, Ultrababyfat, Luna, Dead and Britta, Galaxie 500, The Vacant Lots, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, and other groups on this rocket ride. (Perhaps these are the stars, the lights of Nieman’s world, the album title refers to.) The elation, the joy, of making music with friends for 30-something years is the heartbeat of the record, pulsing in motorik time.
Song to song, Covered in Stars shifts pace and intensity, whisking the listener on an exciting, bouncing journey through the galaxy Nieman has managed to create for himself and his listener over nearly 30 years of Füxa.
This one's a picture disc, with art by the iconic James Marsh of Talk Talk album cover fame.
Mood: Dancing on the rings of a neon planet in a simulated galaxy.
They Say:
Covered In Stars featuring members of Luna, Spacemen 3, Slowdive, Spectrum, Add N To (X), The Vacant Lots, Spiritualized, Slipstream and others.
This is a wonderfully colourful, beautiful fun and powerfully transcendent album by Fuxa, Featuring driving drum machines, gritty fuzz bitten guitars on The Sun Is Shining and Mary, 80's neon midnight post-punk disco grooves on Shadazz and perfectly blissed out floating in space vibes (Help Me Please and Cluster Fuxa). The synths shimmer and elevate, guitars attack and sparkle and the vocals deliver dark romanticism which evoke often David Cronenberg inspired fantasies such as photographs of car crashes, crushes on perfect strangers and unknown futures.
- Simon Scott (Slowdive)
Fuxa returns with new album Covered In Stars. Eight new songs and several years in the making, of what can best be described as a full on sonic explosion. Mixing space-rock elements, krautrock rhythms, punchy beats and swirling electronic sweeps and beeps that would make for a perfect soundtrack for any warp speed traveling cosmonauts with phasers set to fun!!
For the past 25 years Fuxa front man Randall Nieman has no doubt been on a cosmic journey in sound and space. from his early beginnings a part of Detroit locals Windy and Carl as a guitarist/synth player, running and releasing close to 100 releases on his own label Mind Expansion, to later joining Sonic Boom's (Spacemen 3) group Spectrum for close to a decade. Performing the songs that Spacemen taught him touring across North America and Europe as well as recording and releasing several releases with Sonic under the Spectrum moniker.
Randall has since worked with and released numerous amounts of material with the likes of Martin Rev (Suicide), The Telescopes and Dean and Britta (Luna) to name a few.
It is no surprise that Randall would once again build this new album with friends that he became close to over the years musically and there's certainly no shortage of indie royalty star power on this album.
Produced by Randall Nieman, Richard Formby and Stefan Persson.
Mastered by Simon Scott (Slowdive) This album features guest appearances from Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham (Luna), Ann Shenton (Add N to (X)), Mark Refoy and Jonny Mattock (Spiritualized, Slipstream), Roger Brogan (Spectrum/Dean Wareham), Jared Artaud (Vacant Lots) and more! Each adding an unmistakable and timeless element that the (now a trio) Fuxa's core members have created. Randall Nieman, Stefan Persson, and Tom Meade.
It would be hard not to notice the sheer aesthetic glory of this release as once again Randall has chosen the amazing James Marsh (most would remember him as the phenomenal artist responsible for all the Talk Talk albums over the years. His artwork is not only featured on the jacket but on both sides of the limited edition picture disc vinyl.
This album artwork could quite possibly open a worm hole into another universe while spinning if not careful!!
Covered in stars is a celebration of 25 years of music and friendships made along the way.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Fuxa!
Tracks:
1. Help Me Please
2. Mr. X
3. Cluster Fuxa
4. Sun Is Shining
5. Shadazz
6. Mary
7. Real Wild Child
8. Mari
22. Lo-Fi Scary Balloons
23. The Power Of Negative Thinking/The Love That Brings You Down