SPACE MIRRORS – NEXUS BETWEEN SPACE AND ART (Atomic Age/ Dead Earnest/ Bandcamp (2024)

Multi-instrumentalist Ailsa Coral has spent over two decades indulging in music that has successfully straddled two seemingly incompatible genres; space rock and metal, creating panoramic soundscapes influenced by science fiction and astronomy. Indeed, two of the pieces here were inspired by Roger Zelazny’s “Lord of Light” novel. On this occasion the music is more keyboard based and less metallic: titles like ‘Siddhartha’ and the two-part ‘Transmission from Mars’, which has some theremin and Martin ‘talk’ (No humans allowed!) and an early Pink Floyd vibe, illustrate the interface between eastern mysticism and space synth rock.

Ailsa handles most of the instruments with a guest appearance on flute by Nik Turner on the ethereal soundscape ‘Kepler -442b’ and bassist Gabriel Monticello on the first four tracks; original Space Mirrors’ bassist Michael Blackman also appearing on one track. ‘Cydonian Lullaby’ (piano edit) flirts with prog, with a dramatic classical touch while ‘T Coronae Borealis’ has a relaxing, floating in space vibe; intriguing!