Spacehog

In the nearly three years that have elapsed since their last recorded transmission, Spacehog has been on a true Space Hogyssey.

Describing the process that led to the recording of the group’s Artemis debut, The Hogyssey, drummer Jonny Cragg said “The time that has elapsed has given us the opportunity to reflect and get our shit together and our priorities right. This is easily the best record we’ve made yet.”

Making Spacehog’s best record meant scrapping the album they had begun with former label Sire/Warner Brothers and capturing the vibe that permeated their platinum debut album Resident Alien. “There was an emotion with Spacehog when we released “In the Meantime” that was inspiring and refreshing,” explains songwriter and vocalist Royston Langdon. “I tried to get back to that simple emotion of what started this band. In that sense, this is a sort of rebirth.”

Langdon found lyrical inspiration while trotting the globe, and penned the tracks in France, New Zealand and his hometown New York City. The guys then enlisted boardsman du jour Paul Ebersold (Three Doors Down, Sister Hazel) to bring them the discipline they needed (“He’s the only man that could have gotten us to do it because we needed that sense of authority,” Langdon confesses.) along with a surge of inspiration that came with recording for five weeks in Memphis, home of the King.

“I was never that into Elvis before,” says Cragg. “But after being in Memphis, and going to Graceland, it was a bit of a turning point for me. Elvis’s spirit can be found all over the record-with Langdon’s vocals playing around beats in true Elvis style-and the guys have since been named honorary citizens of Memphis by the mayor. Being away in Memphis was just what the doctor ordered. “We made a concerted effort to be focused. We worked six days a week, concentrated on the music and argued a lot,” says Cragg with a laugh. “We knew this was an essential record and had to be right.”

And the guys definitely did get it right this time. The Hogyssey reflects essential elements of the last two Spacehog albums, but builds on them with a far more contemporary, straightforward rock approach. The first single “I Want to Live” finds Langdon singing an empowering tale of a girl on a path to self-discovery, in the vein of Roxy Music during the ever-great Eno days. With psychedelic guitars and an explosive gripping chorus, Spacehog manage to spin serious subject matter into a song that is catchier than the common cold.

“I think maybe we’ve wised up a bit and are ready to put our best foot forward,” says Langdon, who found creative subject matter in the midst of an earthquake in New Zealand (“Earthquake”) and in becoming a U.S. citizen (“This Is America”). “There’s always so much emphasis on us being a party band and while that’s still relevant, it’s far more important for us to get something out of it for ourselves. We lost our way a little bit and now we’re just enjoying the process of writing and making music.”

Of course a few party tunes are sprinkled into the mix, such as Anthony Langdon’s ode to life on the road, “At Least I Got Laid.” Over Steel’s pummeling guitars, the lyric openly reveals the empty disappointment that results from the wilder times on the road. But the guys are prepared to hit the road again soon, criss-crossing the States to visit radio stations, eventually bringing the Hogyssey to Hogheads everywhere. In this era of packaged pop, the return of real musicians with true rock sensibilities is a refreshing change.

Let the Hogyssey continue……..