Former
Fu Manchu guitarist Eddie Glass formed
Nebula in 1997, releasing the band's first EP, Let It Burn, on tiny Tee Pee Records. Over a decade later, after time served on Sub Pop and Liquor and Poker, Glass and a new bassist and drummer are back on Tee Pee with an album that could have been recorded the day after the Let It Burn sessions. His stinging guitar leads (and gift for artful bursts of noise -- check out the speaker-frying intro to "Aphrodite"), the occasional trips into space via pedals and keyboard accents, and the slow and steady drumming are all in place just as they've always been. There are some surprises, like the two-minute instrumental "Dream Submarine," which pairs bouzouki-like guitars with thunderous timpani bashing. The album's longest track, "The Other Side," is also one of its most melodic, and lives up to the album's title quite well, as it's trippy and somewhat soothing as its fuzzy main riff works its way into your brain. Put simply, if you like any of
Nebula's earlier work, not to mention the 1990s work of
Monster Magnet,
Brant Bjork, or
Fu Manchu, you'll like this album just fine. ~ Phil Freeman