Spacehog Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
For their third full-length effort, Spacehog stayed close to the Bowie/T. Rex sound that made their 1996 debut Resident Alien such a hit. But if hopes were that a single as catchy as that album's out-of-the-gate hit "In the Meantime" was to be found, sadly there is not. That's not to say The Hogyssey doesn't have its moments. The lead single, "I Want to Live," displays all the fuzz and falsetto that made "Meantime" so popular (and with a line like "soar like an angel, ride like a whore," how could it go wrong?), and the accusatory "A Real Waste of Food" goes for a Diamond Dogs vibe and gets chunky with Wurlitzer and horns. "Perpetual Drag," "At Least I Got Laid," and "Jupiter's Moon" sport some truly inspired guitar riffs and powerful playing, but the corny rearrangement of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (better known as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) is just downright ill-advised. An attempt to get back to the vibe of Resident Alien may have been a good idea, but now, in addition to drawing liberally from Bowie and glam rock, the Hog are already revisiting their own work. Crunchy guitars aside, perhaps Hogyssey is a misstep for Langdon and company. ~ John Duffy, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
"In the Meantime" was a huge hit, and Resident Alien went gold, but Spacehog's debut earned them no critical respect. At any other time, the group's glitzy revival of Bowie, Roxy and Mott the Hoople would have earned kudos, but it arrived at the height of Brit-pop, when other, more celebrated (and, frankly, better) bands were dominating the media spotlight. So, when it came time to deliver their second record, Spacehog knew they had to make a big splash, and The Chinese Album delivers on that promise. A faux song cycle layered with details and hooks, The Chinese Album is a big album conceptually, but the band doesn't quite have the gravity required to make it the sweeping achievement they desire. That hardly means that the album isn't enjoyable, however. Royston Langdon's mock-Bowie baritone is damn near irresistible, and when they have the right hooks and melodies, the result is a gaudy guilty pleasure. There are quite a few of those moments on The Chinese Album, but the band is occasionally derailed by underdeveloped hooks and ill-fitting humor (their foray into music-hall stumbles). Still, the record illustrates that Spacehog has fashioned their own identity out of their glam influences, and that makes the album an impressive effort, even if it lacks a knockout track like "In the Meantime." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
British but based in New York, Spacehog's publicity material would have you believe the group resurrects the glam heyday of vintage Bowie and Mott the Hoople (even disingeniously referring to them as "the band who fell to earth"). It's all well and good to set your sights high, but the hype creates expectations that Resident Alien is incapable of delivering, despite the blatant Ziggy Stardust vocal inflections of "Starside" and "Zeroes." There's no doubt that this awkwardly-named combo attack their chosen retro-glam vocation with panache, flash, and good humor, but there's ultimately not a lot of substance behind the theatrical pose and fat Gibson runs. With few exceptions (there's no denying the preening bulls-eye of "Never Coming Down") the songwriting tends to be fairly frothy. Still, I'd take a dose of Resident Alien any day over yet another cold dish of serious, mystically dour, faux-acid rock Doors/Led Zep wannabes. Ironically, by homogenizing the Brit-glam sound in their manner, Spacehog may just succeed in bridging to U.S. audiences who often have difficulty relating to the "Britishness" of the latest U.K. wave. ~ Roch Parisien, All Music Guide
