Review of "You Are Here" by John Hinder
Space Rock, 18 August 2004
Litmus - You Are Here
Litmus were formed in 1999 by Martin (bass, vocals) and Simon (guitar, vocals). They recruited Ben (drums) after playing in another band with him. The three of them recorded early demos in 2000/01, overdubbing keyboards, synths and audio generator themselves. Andy (keyboards, synth) joined to add keyboards at gigs, but it was a lot of work for one man. Even Andy. So Matt (audio generator) joined (Andy's brother). And then Anton (synth, audio generator) in 2002 (you can never have enough space sounds). Ben left early in 2003 to spend more time on other musical projects. Good drummers seem to be very scarce, so it was a considerable relief when Marek (drums, vocals) was found.
You Are Here is the band's debut CD. They have also featured on a few compilations, including Daze of the Underground, the Hawkwind Tribute CD.
The band have been building a reputation on the UK's Space Rock scene as one of the best new bands around, and listening to the album its not hard to understand why. Bringing to mind the great bands of the past, the band are proud to wear their influences on their collective sleeves. Hawkwind are obviously a big influence, with Litmus taking their basic sound and updating it for a new generation. For instance, opener 'Infinity Drive', 'Dreams Of Space' and 'Sonic Light' in particular rock and whoosh to great effect.
The band also display a lighter, folksy touch on You Are Here and show some nice ambient touches on 'Rays Of Sonic Light', 'There' and 'Chime'.
The 2 longest tracks are the standouts, at just over 10 minutes, '(Theta Wave) Inductor' builds on a hypnotic riff and memorable vocal and the 21 minute-plus 'Stone Oscillator (Static Ritual)' slowly builds from arppegiated guitar through stoner riffs and a great melody before fading out at the end.
Overall, the album sounds great, with genuine Hammond, Mellotron and Moog providing some authentic sounds to complement the band's quality playing. If you like space rock, you'll like this.
Score: 4 1/2 stars