New Order, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, All India Radio, The Cure, Brian Eno, The Church, AIR, Daft Punk, Cocteau Twins, Pink Floyd, Stereolab, DJ Shadow, Mogwai, Boards Of Canada, Spaceman 3, Micheal Brook, Daniel Lanois, U2, Jean Michel Jarre, Radiohead, U2, My Bloody Valentine, Kruder & Dorfmeister
Sounds Like
AIR, New Order, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, Jean Michel Jarre, The Cure, Daft Punk, Cocteau Twins, Pink Floyd, Stereolab, DJ Shadow, Boards Of Canada, Thievery Corporation, Radiohead, u2, My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Ros
Big Spaceship is the side project for Martin Kennedy of All India Radio. Any fans of All India Radio will have plenty to rejoice in here - the ambience and wistful melancholy are abundant - but this time with more synthesisers! Big Spaceship's debut album Dream On is a gentle, electronic mood-enhancer somewhere between New Order and Air with enough lift and joy to fill your ears for months.
The album features guest vocals from Glenn Richards from much loved band Augie March. Big Spaceship is a combination of all the music Martin Kennedy loves and, when filtered through his instinctual pop aesthetic the results are soothing, exciting and joyous - all at the same time...
The album was produced by Martin Kennedy and by co-mixed by Michael Paul Stavrou. Michael was given his first break at Sir George Martin's AIR studios in London and has mixed, recorded or produced Siousxie & The Banshees, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Cat Stevens and countless others.
The album cover features an original painting by veteran UK sci-fi artist Tim White. The painting was originally used on the front cover of the 1976 paperback edition of Arthur C Clarke's novel 'Expedition To Earth'.
Released through Karmic Hit - home of Steve Kilbey ( The Church ), Jack Frost ( Steve Kilbey / Grant McLennan ), SNOG and SOMA (Pieter Bourke from Dead Can Dance).
This is the nicest surprise that myspace has yielded since we set up a profile on here. The music is really fantastic. Rarely do I sit in front of my computer bopping to music instantly but I just couldn't help it. - Air Strip One
Rating: 5 out of 5
So there I was ordering a few things off Karmic Hit's website (mostly to pick up the re-released Jack Frost self-titled album) when I noticed this Martin Kennedy (y'know, Mr All India Radio) side-project, and having been utterly enthralled by this year's release Echo Other it took no time at all to decide to buy this one, figuring that I'd "probably like it".
The cover picture's suitably retro-scifi (the myspace page says it had been used on an Arthur C. Clarke novel). The major difference between Big Spaceship and All India Radio is that there's a lot more vocals. The music's a bit more up-tempo, rather than slow and deliberate, and trainspotters will have an easy time seeing hints of Air in a couple of tracks and New Order-like bass lines in quite a few others. Bonus points for the mellotron (or mellotron-like?) sounds, Mr K. There's plenty of earwormy goodness in this album - little synth riffs that pop up in your head a few days later on, prompting you to go back and listen to it Just One More Time.
What's next? Martin Kennedy is/was apparently working on something with Steve Kilbey. Well, I'm excited. - THE MONKEY PUZZLE
Dreamy and ambient, the album flows from track to track as though they were motions in a rock opera, or soundtrack, rather than a pop album, making the experience of continued listening one that is bound by theme, emotion and imagery that is, in itself, commonly bound. Quiet and delicate, Dream On is exactly what one would derive from both the title and the band name, and well worth a listen for anyone who is in the mood for a little bit of fantasy in their head. Lovely stuff - X-RESS MAG
..there's some really engaging stuff going on here. Some of the guitar lines are very like The Cure, and Martin pulls off the trick of giving the music a wistful vibe that sits strangely with the upbeat drum patterns and synth lines. Simultaneously melancholic and vaguely hopeful. The songwriting is strong and there are plenty of catchy melodies to keep you humming the tunes. "One Step Behind" is in my head right now with its lovely vocal line. I listen to this album occasionally and find new things to enjoy about it each time- Tim Clarke Luna Kafe, Norway
This album from Martin Kennedy of all India Radio is one of my favorites. All my friends want to know who it is and why they haven't heard of them. If you like New Order you'll love Big Spaceship. Can't wait for more. - Jesse W. CD Baby Review
oh, and I meant to tell you about my other webpage...I am an amateur photographer (and self-proclaimed "professional" one)and would like to share my pix with you if you have the time to browse. www. myspace. com/tbpix (Trailblazer Photography) I have lots more good photos to add, too! It'd be nice to have feedback from someone with your artistic eye. Enjoy.
well fancy meeting you here, mr. kennedy! its been awhile, huh? i thought i'd stop in and wish you a happy new year and to see how your solo project and things with air were doing. you'll have to send an update from the down under...or down and over to the right...or is it down and to the left? hmmm lol anyhoo....hope all is well with you. i still enjoy spaceship very very much!
~~hey there martin~~ i received some mail all the way from australia today...i just wanted to thank you very much for taking the time and postage to send the signed cover. i guess all the winks and batting of the eyelashes worked. ahhh, men are so easy! LOL just kidding. you deserve much success with this album and i hope you get it!
if not, well, they're loss!
again, ty
your #1 usa fan, ~Jody~ (tossing her golden locks!)
ya know...i was thinkin'...since i'm your #1 fan and all *wink wink*...would you be willing to do that autographed cd cover if i mailed it to you?? *batting eyelashes* what do ya think??
Hio Martin, I do indeed like your eyepoppingly, jawdroppingly captivating music, so much so that I hope to buy an album, pins and posters or whatever else you got! Please do a lively soon. Brightly, Fi x
Hi!
You Got Me Through My Road-Rage Today!
Thank You!
I Turned Up The Volume, And Just Sat In My Car Singing While Playing My "Air-Instrumentals"
... I Even Let A Few People In Front Of Me.
Great Stuff!
Hugs
-tEa
Can Not Wait To See Y'all In Chicago!
I Am Telling EVERYONE!
Thank you for you great all time fave album. Tomorrow I will play seven ttracks of it at my show in gemran FM - radio. At 4 o´clock in the afternoon british time. I can also send you a copy of the show as na mp3 file on CD...
You can have a listen tomorrow - and then every second week at that time - on winam stream at:
www.wellenrauschen.mx35.de
Just click on a button in the text, called live stream: "jetzt hören" , which is german and means "listen now".
You´re a great musician. I will always be interested into your wonderful music. Just let me listen to more of your projects. You have my post address. If not, write a mail to wellenrauschen(at)gmx.de
Happy thing, that you got in contact with Danny from "Unit/Robodop Snei". He is a great talented, crazy, freaky genius muscian and has an open mind. And he is finally one of my dearest friends, coming from my hometown; Lüneburg in Germany.
Best wishes; be sure for my support. On your next release, we will do y phoner interview together. I do always spread out interviews in english language in my country... It´s a lot more authentic with the original words.
It's Dan again (from Robodop Snei) - love your tunes even more now that i have listened to 'em every day and - thats no joke- even woke up this morning and the first thing i heard in my head was "Chantelle..."! Ah, Chan..well, hope to catch you live sometime! Hope you enjoy our tunez hope you catch us live sometime as well...peace & love!
Dan from UN!T
