Alpha Stone

Pete Bain was an original member of Spacemen 3 (although hardly the best known). As Pete Bassman, he's the key figure in Alpha Stone, which in his words (according to a label press release) is "like a less sublime, more groovy, danceable Spiritualized; the band merges spacy riffs with urban samples and mechanical drumbeats." Fair enough; certainly the music has strong connections to the vibe of Spacemen 3 and that group's various spinoffs, melding repetitive riffs both to snaky, early Pink Floydish psychedelic guitar riffs and electronic washes/rhythms. It's psychedelic music for the '90s, for listeners who want something that's neither consciously retro nor as cold as techno. Whether it's your bag or not depends very much on individual taste; for every listener that finds the groove hypnotic, another will find it unbearably tedious.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo