Man Or Astro-man?
1000X

As if the Ventures – pioneers of 60s surf - were abducted by aliens and forced to merge with unknown entities to create new life forms on distant galaxies. Man Or Astro-man? have been one of the most interesting musical realities in the independent scene of the '90s; brilliant avant-gardists as they were the first to introduce a 'futurist' shift experimenting within a genre that is notoriously purist and always the same as itself like 'Surf'.

"1000X" is the EP (Touch & Go, 1997) that stands out the most in the boundless production of Astro-man and that best conveys the irresistible charm of their "scientific research": a perfect techno-analog hybridization between surf tradition, wave boosts, and post-punk riffs that attracts the listener like a magnet attracts scrap metal. By adopting more electronic sounds and exploring the compositional possibilities of the voice, Man or Astro-man? evolve in this astonishing atmospheric fragment of dry and robotic sounds, built with essential and 'complex' linearity at the same time, an absolutely captivating minimalism.
"The Miracle Of Genuine Pyrex" is the guitar test in zero gravity that combines the syncopated progressions of the best Devo with the sparkling speed of Sonic Youth. "Specify Gravity" is instead a Pixies track deconstructed by the radio signal of alien space probes. "Like A Giant Microwave" is a hypothetical jam between X and Fugazi remastered for a Martian audience while "Man Made Of CO2" is an overwhelming cadence of pure retro-futuristic surf that irresistibly naively mimics Dick Dale & His Del-tones. "Universe City", a short theme that projects Ultravox into 2052 and "100 Individual Magnets" a hard-hitting punch that gets lost in hyperspace, as if the entire Enterprise crew were completely drunk and started bouncing from one planet to another denting their spaceship. "With Automatic Shut Off" closes and gloomily buzzes the bass sound à la Joy Division before sparking a rousing dance that references the Gun Club.

Personally, I have never mentioned Man Or Astro-man? among my all-time favorite bands, but one thing is certain: "1000x" is among the ten records I would take to the fallout shelter.
So here's some advice: don't let the labels ("space-surf," "future-surf") forcibly coined to classify this music keep you away from such a beautiful record. The Astro-men seem to have descended to earth to play guitar, bass, and drums with an unconscious energy that very simply transcends all limits and categories, progressing beyond the narrow confines of contemporary music. And besides, can you tell me which other band uses its fan club as a cover for scientific experiments on humans?