Review of "You Are Here" by G. E. Schwalm
Progressive Rock Reviews, Houston, July 2004

HERBAL DYE MAKES GREAT SONIC GPS LOCATER!: 'Not your ordinary avian flatulence'.

Space-Rock, a mix of Heavy Metal, and dare I say, Progressive Rock, has been experiencing something of a renaissance lately, what with the recent discoveries in astrophysics, a renewed interest in Stonehenge, or perhaps more likely, the current focus of European promoters' music fests. And at the forefront of this resurgence is the up-and-coming British trailblazer, 'Litmus'. To say this six-man craft from prog's true homeworld of (or not so) merry olde England has taken its cue from the Godfathers of space rock themselves, 'Hawkwind' (there - I've said it), is obvious. But what is also obvious is that Litmus seems to be quite capable, thank you, of not only paying their respects to their mentors, on this, their first official outing, but indeed surpassing all expectations, adding their own accumulated wisdom retrospective of a 30+ year old genre. This is definitely not some sophomoric cosmic Grateful Dead wannabe's trying to work up some still self-unsure enthusiasm out of it's 'drag'em in off the street if you have to' audience. Nope - Litmus has confidently taken the classic In Search Of Space-Rock era, analog baggage and all, and transported it to the 21st century-friendly present with exhilarating results! Case in point: the expansion of keyboard elements, formerly not prominently featured during this category's original heyday. You Are Here is wonderfully awash in swirling Mellotron, head-buzzing Minimoog, and yes, even some soul-healing Hammond! Along with the prerequisite audio generators and other assorted electronics, the bass (great interplay!), drums, guitar (you two might want to switch to decaf!) and vocals all display a vital energy both enthusiastic and mature. And you'll be relieved to know that this is also not just another unrelenting onslaught of mindless headbanging. These songs are healthy doses of warpdrive excursions into deep hyperspace that leave you duly awestruck, and then come complete with thoughtful, complimentary celestial rest stop along-the-way interludes to let you catch your breath and enjoy the view. Add to this intelligent lyrics, cliché sidestepping but faithful to the cause song titles ('I Can't Be Sane' - love it!), seamless track segues, superb production values, and some just plain cool CD artwork, and you wonder if this is really only their first commercial release! You can only hope to see a trend emerging here. Progsters get to take a mental vacation, yet still hang on to their dignity! Metalheads can start keeping their bookstore café appointments without fear of ridicule! Who would have ever thought the key to finding hair-in-the-breeze freedom would be in the form of a 12 cm silver and purple acrylic disc? You would if there's a stellar map included!