Summer Town

Album Review

Recorded "live" in Summertown, TN, during the Unityfest celebration of 2000, Summer Town contains a single, long-running track of music intended to be listened to all the way through or looped for continuous playback. Spacecraft's Summer Town is an interesting, more space music-oriented recording that is as diverse as it is long. This recording showcases everything from lush and spacey flute runs, to some very tranquil and meditative vocalizing. There's also some of Tony Gerber's minimalist guitaring, as well as Giles Reaves' unmistakable and always identifiable atmospheric sound synthesis. The one really enjoyable thing about this recording, which really sets this apart from other long-running continuous-playback pieces, is that it's not a series of drones and bleeps in fact as far as ambient and space music go. It's a very non-minimalist recording; rather it's a very satisfying recording that has just the right amount of all of the things that are necessary to making a contemplative, musical journey. A noteable part in Summer Time is about two-thirds in. Diane Timmons is doing some of the finest ambient vocalizing that ever recorded. Her singing style is reminiscent of Enya, or Lisa Gerard, then another vocalist comes in, either Tony Gerber or John Rose and then the recording takes on a very Dead Can Dance à la Spiritchaser aesthetic, but more contemplative. All and all, Spacecraft's Summer Town is a fine recording and very representative of Spacecraft.