An unusual and striking document of the
FSA live experience,
In Search of Spaces consists of instrumental snippets from a series of shows in the early '90s with a rotating lineup, including Matt Elliott of
Third Eye Foundation. The number of shows
FSA has ever done is nearly nil to begin with, and no live line-up was ever quite the same. Corpus Hermeticum/
A Handful of Dust mainman
Bruce Russell then edited and wove everything together, creating a single-track CD that runs for 50 minutes.
In Search of Spaces definitely rewards the patient as a result, but those willing to take the plunge will be well-rewarded. Given the general
FSA recording approach of home-taping and anti-gloss, the crumbling and murky results aren't too far off from the band's studio releases (indeed, the liner notes claim the recordings come from audience tapes rather than soundboard streams). If there's little or none of the sudden crispness that makes songs like "In the Light of Time" so striking, the moody, post-psychedelic reach of the performances more than makes up for it. As there's no way to tell when or how anything was done, making judgments on the basis of improved abilities over the time or the like is impossible --
In Search of Spaces needs to be taken at face value. Elliott's contributions likely result in the occasional drums, but Pearce's unearthly guitar howls and shattering, abrasive yet lovely feedback arcs take understandable pride of place. Singling out particular moments to concentrate on can take some patience, but there's a lengthy jam starting around ten minutes in with a low, rumbling rhythm providing the background for some wonderful guitar craziness from Pearce and others.