Hawkwind – The Future Never Waits
Hawkwind – The Future Never Waits
Cherry Red Records
Release Date: 28/04/23
Running Time: 69:00
Review by Paul Hutchings
9/10
Prolific is used for many bands but there are few who would deserve their name in the Oxford English Dictionary next to that word more than the legendary space rockers Hawkwind. Their 35th studio album nestles nicely alongside their expansive back catalogue, which not only includes the previous 34 studio albums but a mass of live records and numerous compilations, oddities and rarities that appear on regular release.
“The Future Never Waits” is something both reassuringly familiar and yet slightly out of the ordinary. Hawkwind have never really had a template, although you could always guarantee a couple of feisty rockers within any album, balanced out by expansive psychedelic electronica that meanders for lengthy parts, casting sonic soundscapes that weave magical spells.
Well, unsurprisingly, that formula is maintained here. There’s a fine mix of songs that provide the listener with the comforting old style alongside more adventurous and explorative pathways. Dive into the opening title track, a meandering Astro surf that sees synths, keys and sparkling percussion intertwine in a cosmic miasma which you can simply lose yourself in.
New innovations arrive in the form of ‘Aldous Huxley’ and the longest song on the album, the ten-minute ‘They Are So Easily Distracted’. The latter displays a laid-back tempo that verges on lounge music, such is the groove that is laid down. Richard Chadwick’s freeform style of drumming is very much the driver here, as he dictates the pace, laying the beat for swirling synths and easy listening piano and saxophone. It’s a song that somehow doesn’t feel out of place, chilled and calming from start to finish.
There are, of course, a couple of those gunning riffs that Dave Brock will always fire out. ‘The End’ is the first to arrive, a chugging riff that is instantly familiar forms the bassline as Brock sings with his inimitable style over the top. ‘Rama (The Prophecy)’ soars with sonic propulsion, a real throwback to the band’s familiar style and one that will surely please both diehard and newer fans alike. The traditional groove welcomed like an old friend.
It’s an album that isn’t as instant as previous releases, like 2022’s “Somnia” might have been, but repeated plays have found me once again engrossed in the creative soundwaves that this mighty and incredible band have once again crafted. Elongated songs like ‘I’m Learning to Live Today’ show all the quality that the best of this unique UK band have to offer. Invest the time, and you’ll reap the reward. 35 albums in, and the veteran space lords show no sign of slowing. With a summer of shows, including a prestigious and quite frankly, exciting show at Chepstow Castle lined up, there really is no stopping possibly the most creative and spectacularly brilliant band on the planet.
‘Rama (The Prophecy)’ Official Audio
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Future Never Waits
02. The End
03. Aldous Huxley
04. They Are So Easily Distracted
05. Rama (The Prophecy)
06. USB1
07. Outside of Time
08. I’m Learning to Live Today
09. The Beginning
10. Trapped in This Modern Age
LINE-UP:
Dave Brock – vocals, guitars, keyboards, synthesisers
Richard Chadwick – Drums, vocals, percussion
Magnus Martin – vocals, guitar, key
Doug MacKinnon – bass
Tim ‘Thingpaulsandra’ Lewis – keyboards, synthesisers
LINKS:
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I have grown up with Hawkwind,
Takes me on that Journey every time.