Litmus - Planetfall
Candlelight Records - CDL 361 - September 25, 2007
By George Grant
Come; let us explore the vast unknown that is outer space. Leave the microcosmic world you inherit, and dive into the infinite cosmos filled with endless wonder and beauty. Our captains for today’s voyage are none other than English space rockers
Litmus.
Planetfall is the second full-length album from this growing band, and if this is any indication of their future then it will no doubt be brighter than a thousand stars.
After the ambiguous opening
‘Destroy the Mothership,’ Litmus unleashes their unique and energetic style of space rock. The general tempo throughout the album is fast considering the style of music. There are very few moments where you’ll hear
Litmus pull back the throttle to leave breathing room. The basis for
Litmus’ music is the standard guitar, bass, drums and vocals. With these instruments the band creates a very heavy and at times chaotic listen. Many of the guitar riffs in the album will remind listeners of traditional heavy metal riffing as well as the rock and roll swagger of
Motorhead. Combined with this attack
Litmus colors their template with various sweeping synths. Ultimately, these keyboards help build a psychedelic trance to the music. No better example is in the closing of
‘Singularity,’ where the band really lets loose with the guitars and synths along with the repeating cockney accented vocals. This monumental section should easily hypnotize the listener and bring you to places never before been.
The production on
Planetfall perfectly complements the aura
Litmus was trying to achieve. The instruments blend together to cohesively deliver a stunning feeling to the album. Also, the raw nature of the standard instruments really ooze the '70s rock and roll that has obviously inspired this group. If I was to nit pick the album to find a fault, it would have to be in the lack of variety
Planetfall has to offer. Many of the songs do indeed sound the same, and if the atmosphere doesn’t capture you within the first couple songs it could be difficult to survive the rest of the listen. However, for those that love to open their mind and allow music to whisk them away then
Litmus is just the experience for you.
Official Litmus Website
Official Candlelight Records Website
