Artist: Secret Saucer Album: Second Sighting (2007) Label: Dead Earnest Records Website: http://www.geocities.com/secretsaucergroup/ Reviewer: Bill Knispel

Track List: 1 Lift Off 2 All The Way To Outer Space 3 D-Walker 4 Tranquility Base 5 Venture 91-200 6 Untitled Dream 7 Disintegrator 8 Integrator 9 Reflections 10 The Death Of Time 11 Night Sky Space rock supergroup Secret Saucer serves up another diverse helping of mind altering instrumentals on Second Sighting, an appropriate title for the band’s sophomore effort. Secret Saucer carries with it an impressive catalogue of influences and history. Members have variously played with Daevid Allen, Hawkwind, Nik Turner, Architectural Metaphor, Quarkspace, Church of Hed, Sun Machine, and probably countless other space rock bands. Their first release, 2006’s Element 115, was the result of a weekend’s worth of jams, edited and manipulated to create one of the more enjoyable new space rock releases I’d heard in quite some time. The band took advantage of some additional studio time to add some overdubs this time around, but essentially what comes flying out of your speakers at the speed of sound is the result of a similar set of circumstances...the band got together, jammed and flew wherever their muses directed them, and the best bits have been presented here for your enjoyment. One thing that generally separates out space rock for me, when compared to most other forms of progressive/art rock, is the emphasis on mood over solo spotlights. Of course, there are some wonderful exceptions to the rule (Steve Hillage from Gong pops immediately to mind), but generally speaking, space rock is exploratory...it’s almost intentionally designed to be music to take the listener on an adventure through the depths of time and space, either outer or inner. A track dripping with synth and ambience can just as easily fade into a blast of heavy rock, mimicking booster rockets kicking in and taking the band (and the listener) deeper into uncharted regions, cutting out for another extended quiet floating section, or spoken word, or...well, almost anything. As Secret Saucer is a fully instrumental band, they have to rely on their instruments and arrangements to tell the stories that words and lyrics would otherwise handle...and it’s done to good effect here. Second Sighting covers a reasonable amount of ground for an instrumental album...there’s a number of heavier rock tracks, several great mellow pieces perfect for blissing out to, and a few pieces verging on a more groove-based, electronica/techno type feel. Driving the album along in all cases is drummer Thomas Marianetti (who has played with Sun Machine and Nick Riff), whose work behind the kit is the heartbeat that keeps this animal moving...the engine that propels the craft that is the Secret Saucer through space. Hitting with force where needed, he can just as easily lay back and add touches of percussive colour as well, showing him to be more than just a one-dimensional member of the band. With almost every member of the band adding synth at one point or another, one can be assured that tracks are filled with swirling, shifting textures that almost verge on symphonic orchestration. Guitar fans shouldn’t feel left out, either...there’s enough fuzzed, distorted soloing and fluid glissando guitar to go around. Things start out with a touch of heaviness on a pair of solid rockers. “Lift Off” does exactly what it says on the tin, metaphorically speaking, with a slow burning buildup that eases the listener into their seat, buckles them up, and prepares them to blast off. Pulsing bass, saw tooth synth leads and swirling analogue synth waves shifting left and right set the stage, and “All The Way to Outer Space” is the payoff for the build up, with hot guitar leads battling for aural supremacy with still more analogue sounding synth. This opening two-fer is proof positive that Secret Saucer came ready to play on Second Sighting, and they’re not going to lay back and let their heavy CV be what impresses. This is a bunch of players hungry to show that they have the right stuff (and that phrase works on so many levels when referring to space rock), ant these tracks deliver. Hardcore space rock fans will perhaps be most interested in track three. “D-Walker” does two things in its title; first, it echoes/mimics/sounds inspired by the classic Hawkwind song “D-Rider,” off 1974’s Hall of the Mountain Grill album. More importantly, however, it serves as a tribute to Doug Walker, known to fans of the genre as Dr. Synth and as a long time member of NYC based space rock band Alien Planetscapes, who passed away tragically in April 2006. Appropriately, Secret Saucer’s tribute is as filled with synthesizers as might be humanly possible to capture on tape or digital recorder, each member of the band contributing intertwining synth leads over a pulsing drum/bass line. I can’t really think of a better or more appropriate was to memorialise a musician than this. Another highlight worth checking out singly is the mellow “Tranquility Base,” which arises from the synth heavy “D-Walker” with a bit more brightness and a heavier emphasis on electronica-style rhythms. The eastern-inspired “Venture 91-200,” which might benefit from the sitar sounds heard later on the album (on “Reflections”), opens in a manner that might almost merit comparisons to similar explorations by Tool and Dream Theater (I’m thinking specifically of the opening bits of “Home” off Scenes From a Memory, which explores similar Eastern/Indian musical avenues) before moving into heavier traditional space rock. Speaking of “Reflections,” bits and bobs remind of Hawkwind tracks like “Assassins” (or “Hassan-i-Sabah,” depending on what you prefer to title the piece), with the sitar adding an interesting and entirely appropriate sound to the mix. Second Sighting shows that Secret Saucer is more than just a flash in the pan or a one-off project; this is another solid space rock release worth adding to any fan’s collection. Band Members: Steve Taylor - guitar, bass, drums Dan Schnell - acoustic & electric guitar Paul Williams - synthesizers, drums Billy Spear - bass Steve Hayes - synthesizers, bass Dave Hess - synthesizers, glissando guitar Greg Kozlowski - guitar, bass Jay Swanson - keyboards Thomas Marianetti - drums, synthesizers