Band: Radio Massacre International
Band Website: www.radiomassacreinternational.com
Label: Cuneiform Records
Label Website: www.cuneiformrecords.com
Release Date: 2007
It’s said that every generation has its heroes, and certainly
when one thinks of the psychedelic era one of the heroes that comes to mind is Syd Barrett, a founding member of the Pink Floyd. While
debate can rage on about his particular influences, there is no ignoring his impact on the music and the scene. An impact that can
be traced to the music of Radio Massacre International or RMI for short. So much so that while working on new material they heard
about Syd’s death and decided to focus on the specific musical elements Barrett introduced, incorporating them into their compositions
and create music that would be dedicated to Syd. The band chose a title for their efforts Rain Falls in Grey a line from Syd’s song
“Baby Lemonade.”
RMI is primarily Gary Houghton (guitars, glissando guitar, synthesizer, looper, vocals), Steve Dinsdale (keyboards,
drums, percussion, glockenspiel, looper, vocals) and Duncan Goddard (keyboards, bass, Mellotron, P3 Sequencer). All three have been
player together for some 15 years and for this disc they’ve added some special guests: Martin Archer (sax, clarinet, recorder) and
Cyndee Lee Rule (violin).
The music created by RMI this time around is noticeably different from previous discs. There is still
the spacey vibe with synthesized sonic landscapes but on Rain Falls in Grey, there’s more of a rock edge. In a way it’s more aggressive,
more in your face just like those early Pink Floyd pieces were. And that after all is exactly what RMI was trying to do. This is abundantly
evident on the track “emissary” (8:44) where guitars and reed instruments are used full on. Houghton has perfected the Barrett style
guitar glissando down to a tee. While the others craft that eerie, unsettling background set against a pulsating rhythm foundation.
There are moments where it’s down-right spooky how they’ve copped the sound-style so close. There are seven compositions on the disc,
four of them on the long side. The title track “Rain Falls in Grey” (17:11) get’s things off in fine fashion moving into “Bettr’r
Day-s” (11:45), a track which even reflects Barrett’s pension for playing with the alphabet in song titles. All of these songs have
a distinct sixties psychedelic feel in the musicianship and song structure. RMI has nicely adapted their own spacey vibe to convey
the moods created by their hero.
My guess is that Rain Falls in Grey is going to be a hot item for Syd Barrett fans, in part
because it’s so stylistically true to Barrett’s musical vision but also because it allows the listener to hear just a little more
of what never was. The disc even comes with a suitably psychedelic cover design from Gong’s Daevid Allen. Radio Massacre International have
provided a loving and even moving tribute to one of the space-rock genre’s pioneers and in so doing have crafted a wonderful disc
that “takes you back” and “moves you forward” at the same time. And isn’t that what Syd would have liked?