By Jack Daniel Betz

I’ve been listening to the promo copy of this album at work for the past two weeks and before even listening through it once I’d already made up my mind about it. Le voyage is a brilliant concept album that explores different sonic depictions of space rock ranging from Holst to Manfred Mann.

The first track sets a grave Kubrickian tone with booming timpanis and warbling, gregorian dirge. But then it evolves. Songs like “Sonic Armada” take listeners back to the glorious days (way before I was born, in fact) when the Earth Band shredded Moogs like rice paper. “Parade” lends some very modern, punchy, Coldplay like guitar lines, which, as much as I hate to admit, is space rock. It closes out with “Lava”, which is clearly a tribute to the most iconic space-rockers of all: Pink Floyd.

I wish all rock music was still this album oriented.

Grade: B+