The folks at Superior Viaduct are on a roll as of late. There are a few very fine original albums in their upcoming slate, but it's the reissues they've got going on that are most-deserving of a lot of attention. And none of those could be more worth your time than the upcoming Dreamweapon reissue from Spacemen 3, out on Friday.
The 1987 album is largely 2 long, drone-y pieces billed "An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music" parts 1 and 2, and each is a 22-minute slow roar that burns through the speakers and rewards a fan of this band with a new angle with which to view their output. Where other Spacemen 3 offerings hued more closely to a sort of Sixties acid rock-template, these 2 epic tracks signify an allegiance to other styles from the Sixties, namely those of Cale and LaMonte Young, and Tony Conrad. Moderately abrasive and utterly hypnotic, these 2 sides from Spacemen 3 make Dreamweapon essential, with the bonus tracks here sealing the deal for potential purchasers. "Ecstasy in Slow Music" undulates with a sort of quiet grace, while the peek behind the curtain of "Spacemen Jam" shows Jason Pierce and Sonic Boom engaging in a dual-guitar attack that is as compelling as the longer tracks are insinuating.
Dreamweapon by Spacemen 3 is out on Friday via Superior Viaduct.