Richard Norris likes to work, and we like his work. From managing the groundbreaking Bam Caruso label and writing for the NME in the eighties, to fronting the Grid, working with Joe Strummer, being one half of sought after production team Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve and now fronting the extremely enjoyable psychedelic / mildly electronic outfit the Time & Space Machine, it is clear that Mr Norris likes to have projects on the go, and the latest E.P from the Time & Space Machine is either a fascinating continuation or a perfect entry point, depending on where you're coming in.
This new five track E.P (which includes a marvelous Cornershop remix of the title track) is an extremely innovative piece of work that blurs the lines between the past & the future in a way that few others have managed - I'm thinking Cariobou's "Andorra" and not really much else that's in this league, it's that good.
The title track blends an old fashioned, Beatley pentatonic riff with some T.Rex swagger and a chorus with a streetwise and slightly sinister Lou Reed vibe, blanketed in sweet spacey electronics.
"Reverberation" shows an immediate mastery of Krautrock with a motorik drive that trumps most of Toy's hyped (and admittedly rather good) debut, and plenty of swelling backing vocals, backwards guitars and keyboards floating in and out of the mix to keep it as trippy as it is hypnotic, and driving guitars to up the impetus whenever it's in danger of petering out.
"Lady In The Lake" in the meantime is extremely lovely, almost ambient psychedelia with fluid guitars and an unparallelled sense of mood that seems to find a middle ground somewhere between spacious prog rock and dare I say it, chill out.
And that's all you need to know - it's a total must have and a bargain at 5.99 on 12 inches of extremely well packaged vinyl.
You can order from Norman Records here.
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