Ink



"Much like the timeless outerwear, this song is claustrophobic and unfashionable yet undeniably warm.
Perhaps you wouldn’t wear this song to a discotheque or expensive restaurant
but you would try it on for size during the early morning hours of a weekend...

"Turtleneck" is comfy, outdated, and lovable.
Jangled pop formulas are quilted together in unexpected ways
to keep your ears perked while the lo-fi ethereals lull you into slumberly bliss.
By the end, SIMRF's dreamy folk atmosphere disintegrates into artfully off-key enchantment..."
Anika Sabin
Local Cut
Willamette Week
January 30, 2007
Review of "Turtleneck"


"Felici di rincontrare questo trio che tanto ci suggestionò
con le luminose e fiabesche prove del passato
"Wy'east Can't Sleep", "Super 8 Soundtrack" e "Mudpuddle Park",
improntate su un originale stralunato folk-poprock,
lisergico e degradato, strascicato e ramingo.

In quest'ultima raccolta "Stolen: Honda Dream"
si privilegia di consueto un senso istintuale dei primordi, assai prossimo
-ma cronologicamente in anticipo-
agli esperimenti di Glenn Donaldson e della propria etichetta CD-R Jewelled Antler
e alle sue torbide floreali creature boschive Child Readers, Skygreen Leopards, Birdtree.

Se manca una coesione in questa continua "scena"
indie-psichedelia a cavallo tra due millenni, indicibile,
epide(r)mica voragine assai poco scenografica, certa n'è l'esistenza,
indubitabile il proprio contributo all'evoluzione della più recente musica indie.

Un immaginario ben radicato, mai sopito,
il filo rosso che lega questi musici cortesi,
sta in questo incrollabile approccio istintuale,
apparente e sceneggiato, verso il sogno ad occhi aperti.
Un senso confidenziale, amatoriale e "immersivo" attraversa costantemente questi progetti.
Sospensione, assenza di un rivolgimento, solipsismo, (r)esistenza in apnea.
Di questi allucinati, David Klopfenstein spicca certo
tra i più spiritualmente eletti, benedetti e dotati.
E questa è un'altra certezza.

"Stolen: Honda Dream" è la quarta raccolta di Klopfenstein e soci:
intriganti opalescenti litanie a base di corde,
strumenti "ambientali" tra cui un pianoforte fumoso e lontano (sembrano decenni),
tastierine riconoscibili e un suggestivo canto plagiato, infantilmente sbigottito,
stralunato e storto, a rimembrare il Waters dei Floyd dei primi anni settanta
(quello di colonne sonore come "More" o anche un "Meddle"), e Skip Spence.

Sauvie Moon…
privilegia rispetto ad altri autori una particolare costruzione
melodica e la forma canzone a fine di tutto.
Il risultato è in dieci brani di dolcezze assort(it)e,
da "Howdy Chief" a "Wappato", passando per "City of Roses",
"Suicidal Continental Sled" e una title-track memorabile,
il cui proposito è fulmineamente attuato: 'stole my heart and dream away'."
Fabio Russo
Indiepop.it
Italy
March 2005
Review of "Stolen: Honda Dream"


"Toute la discographie de ce trio de Portland semble être sortie en cassette
uniquement sur le label italien Best Kept Secret.
Etrange.
SIMRF (pour faire court) est une formation indie américaine qui semble
très focalisée sur la pop des années soixante et septante
mais qu’on peut aussi rapprocher de Ladybug Transistor ou Neutral Milk Hotel."
Derives
Belgium
April 13, 2005
Review of "Stolen: Honda Dream"


"This US trio have had a couple of albums out on the label...
"Howdy Chief" certainly starts promisingly before settling down into their trademark ballads.
"City Of Roses" introduces the [Wurlitzer] on another slowie,
and while "Turtleneck" is a bit faster it is still extremely lo-fi.
The oddest track by far on here is a cover of Sonic Youth's
"Pacific Coast Highway" done with just piano and vocals...
The title track is a guitar/vocal track given an almost vaudeville feel...
The next one could be the breakthrough that they are waiting for."
Feedback
U.K.
August 2005
Review of "Stolen: Honda Dream"


"Stumbling high harmonies go hand in hand with that dreamy
and wispy alt. pop home recording sound."
Don Campau, No Pigeonholes
KKUP, San Francisco
January 2004
"Wy'east Can't Sleep"
Best of 2003


"I fell in love with this band right from the start.
I couldn't even believe how cool it was to get not one but three full lengths at once.
These guys mix the jangle of R.E.M., the country of Okkervil River
and the southern psychedelia of the Great Lakes.
Three essential cassette releases that need to be released on CD."
Mike Turner, The Bee's Knees
December 2003
Reviews of "Super Eight Soundtrack" & "Mudpuddle Park" & "Wy'east Can't Sleep"


"We wrote about the beautiful little songs of David Klopfenstein
and Linc McGrath awhile ago, in our feature on Best Kept Secret.
Their records were amongst the more original, bewildered and intense of the lot
so we thought it was time to have an interview with David.
And so here he is, talking about his littlesongs,
his hometown Portland and a lot more...

Fabio: Your music reminds me of an ancestral, arcane, genuine and sensorial
folk-pop-psyche, very human, close and 'compromised' to human senses or instincts.
Could you describe the creation process?

Dave: Thank you very much.
This is difficult to answer because each song is a different experience
and reflects the environment of its creation and capture.
Most of them begin as short ideas in the wee morning hours
-- a melody that won't leave me alone or a story that keeps me awake.
To paraphrase Brian Wilson, I don't write the songs -- they come to me.
Some pieces are recorded at the moment of conception, but most take more time.
In fact, a few of our tunes waited years before being put on tape.

Linc and I began this journey with almost nothing but songs.
The only reason any of this has come together has been our partnership,
ingenuity and the help of good friends.
If the results are compelling, we are both surprised and gratified.

Fabio: Do you like other human arts like cinema, photography, etc...?

Dave: I enjoy all kinds of human expression.
Perhaps, most of our everyday lives could be categorized as art from the right perspective.
There is an art to food.
There is an art to lovemaking.

In my mind, cinema is the most complete art form.
The best films are created by blending many mediums including
literature, performance, photography and music.
I admire many directors, but most of them embody a bygone era.
Just a few of my favorites include Federico Fellini, Vittorio de Sica,
Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman.
I want to explore the work of Maurizio Nichetti because I am a big fan
of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Jacques Tati.
I like quite a few independent films too.

Fabio: Have you ever been interested in representing your music supported by some kind of images?

Dave: Absolutely.
A few years ago, Linc scripted and directed a short movie called, 'Change of Heart.'
I wrote the score.
It was a labor of love between friends.
We have a collection of old film cameras and lots of ideas.
It would be fun to do another project.

Most of our songs are little vignettes with a visual element,
but I ask the listener to imagine it.
This is why I called our first collection, Super Eight Soundtrack.
I think that the silent film era gives the best blueprint for the 'rock video'
and if we ever have a budget, we will go in that direction.

Recently, we had the good fortune to stumble into a small part
in a documentary about local author, Chuck Palahniuk.
We performed 'Turtleneck' live on camera and 'Oaks Wheels'
accompanied the opening sequence.
The program was produced for VPRO -- Dutch Public Television --
and they did a fantastic job.

Fabio: I think Alessandro Crestani (Best Kept Secret label boss) had a great art vision
to assemble various projects all over the world under the similar (pure) idea of music.
How did you meet him?

Dave: We were introduced by Jamey Grey, a mutual friend
with a little label inspired by Best Kept Secret.
Jamey put out several releases including a compilation called,
Lunch with A Bouncing Space.
Alessandro got a copy, liked our song and got in touch with us.
It was a very lucky break.

I agree with your assertion that Alessandro has a 'pure music' philosophy.
This seems such a basic premise, but without it, many larger labels celebrate mediocrity.
We are proud to be releasing our fourth collection, Stolen: Honda Dream on Best Kept Secret.
It is an honor to be friends with Alessandro.
He is a true visionary.

Fabio: I know your city Portland-Oregon had a great part for the band's name
Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory, and, besides, its directions, sounds, visions...etc.
Do you confirm the connection?

Dave: Portland is at the roots of all of our music.
The sights and sounds of our home resonate through everything we do.
Mudpuddle Park is an album that you could listen to and visit all the places in the songs.
Ray Davies of the Kinks wrote many songs about where he grew up,
the history of his community and the brutal changes that time brought.
I see that as a good comparison.

In the past decade or so, our hometown has become something of a mecca.
More young and creative people have been drawn to the city
and some of our native artists have gained national prominence.
Cartoonist Matt Groening, animator Will Vinton
and film director Gus Van Sant have put us on the map.
Consequently, lesser known artists like the late Elliott Smith
have garnered well deserved attention.

Portland is not a normal American city.
We live along the majestic Columbia River, downstream from dams,
chemical weapons and nuclear waste.
We are surrounded by the volatile beauty of volcanoes;
nestled among hills stripped bare by over a hundred years of wreckless logging.

We have an independent spirit that dates back to the earliest settlers of the Oregon Country.
A fearful George H. W. Bush called our city, 'Little Beirut'
after the many protests during his visits in the 90s.
That made us beam with civic pride.

Fabio: What do you think of the pop scene nowadays?

Dave: Of course, I am partial to my home.
I know a great number of talented people here and I feel a kinship with many of them.
My favorite local bands currently include Ross & the Hellpets,
The Minor Thirds, Lodge Club and Metropolitan.
I could make a mile long list of artists in many fields
who call our city home and produce amazing things.

I am also still in love with the pop flavors of New Zealand.
One of the only benefits of being a teenager in the 80s
was discovering antipodean artists that hit my heart.
My favorite musical fetish started with the Chills,
Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, Tall Dwarfs and the Clean.
Perhaps it's the forty-fifth parallel of latitude that binds us.
I still find myself looking there for music more than any other place outside of Portland.

Fabio: Are there some groups you like, in particular?

Dave: My taste is very eclectic.
I can be spinning Scott Joplin one moment and Nino Rota the next.

Recently, I have been blessed with a copy of Ad Gloriam by Le Orme!
It lives in my walkman.
It is a real gem of the psychedelic era in both performance and production
and has quickly become one of my favorite albums.
I don't know what all the lyrics mean, but I sing along!

It was fun to play with the Snow Fairies (from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
and I saw a fantastic show by the Umbrella Sequence (from Minneapolis, Minnesota).
Every day brings new adventure.

Fabio: Sometimes I think that 'indie' methods like 4 track recorders,
Super 8, or 'vintage' or 'damaged' instruments can be close to the artist's vision
and the the best way to identify and capture those informal principles,
at conscious and subconscious levels.
Will this artistic choice accompany your next productions?

Dave: We use whatever tools we have at hand.
Each production is based on a tiny budget and limited resources.
Solving even the most basic problems has taken a great deal of patience and imagination.

Our recording set-up has always been very spartan.
When we began working in the Bastille, it was very basic.
Five stories up in the old flour mill, you crossed a catwalk into a big concrete room with a wood floor.
We had a very long extension cord for an electrical umbilical.
Our four-track was 20 years old and cost us 35 dollars.
Like a castle, the walls were wet when it rained.
We huddled with all of our equipment under a surplus drag parachute.
Super 8 Soundtrack and Mudpuddle Park
were recorded under these conditions.

We are currently recording our fifth album.
The studio is in an old corner grocery,
has a half-inch 8 track recorder and a few new toys, but the philosophy is the same.

I have a question for your readers.

I love to play my classic Italian rock instrument.
It's called an 'Avanti' and I believe it was manufactured by Bartolini-Gemelli in the early 1960s.
It is a bright red solid-body and makes many delicious surf sounds.
A handful of pictures are featured on the fetishguitars.com website.
Can anyone shed a bit of light on the history of my favorite electric guitar?

Fabio: Your albums reminded very special impressions I felt with Supreme Dicks, Bugskull,
or other recent projects, like artists from 'Jewelled Antler' label
(Bliths Sons, Thuja, Child Readers, Birdtree, Skygreen Leopards etc..).
I think they have the same 'research' peculiarity
(informal pop-psychedelia, sounds from nature, field recordings...).
Do you know or would you like to collaborate with some of them?

Dave: Again, I am quite flattered.
I haven't collaborated with them,
but I met the fellows in Bugskull almost twelve years ago.
I was having a rather surreal period then.
One night, I was drunk, newly single and curled up with a cute artist on their couch.
This naturally led to a two-week visit to Los Angeles to see her again.
My first day in California began in Joe DiMaggio's hometown
where the sun rose over the busy oil refineries and mothballed CIA ships.
My last day dawned over Route 66 on the sleepless morning after the Rodney King verdict.
I was very glad to be heading home.

I recently read, 'Into a Wild Sanctuary' by Bernie Krause.
It is a fascinating book for anyone curious about capturing the world around them.
He was one of the pioneers in both nature field recording and synthesized music.
He has spent years capturing the essence of what he calls, 'biophonies.'

I find this direction fascinating.
I am for anything that takes music away from the confines of the sterile
and stressful studio environment.
We have tried to integrate everything from a brutal protest during a presidential visit
to the soft cries of whales as they react to an underwater explosion.
If it is to be truly reflective of a time in space,
shouldn't it contain many of the subtle and incidental pieces of the environment around it?
Not just a gurgling creek, but a roaring runway as well.
This brings music to its fullest potential and creates a complete experience."

Indiepop.it
Italy
December 2003
Interview with Fabio Russo


"These three cassettes comprise the recorded output to date of this Portland-based combo.
Initially self-released... and recently reissued en masse by the Italian tape label Best Kept Secret,
they collect songs written between 1991 and 2000...
Despite the breadth of years, these are more or less uniform in direction,
each embracing a soft, dreamy neo-psychedelia, influenced equally by Brian Wilson and Syd Barrett...
Look forward to hearing new material from an already interesting group
that shows every sign of improving with age."
Jim Santo, Demo Universe
December 2003
Reviews of "Super Eight Soundtrack" & "Mudpuddle Park" & "Wy'east Can't Sleep"


"Sotto questa sigla si celano David Klopfenstein, autore delle canzoni,
e Linc (Lincoln) McGrath, strumentista.
Da Portland, Oregon.
Incidono al Bastille, piccolo studio, avvalendosi di abituali collaboratori,
Nathan recente terzo elemento, Bernd Minde al missaggio e J.Gray
di 99 Cent Dream alla masterizzazione.

Tre le raccolte di Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory pubblicate da Best Kept Secret:
Wy'east Can't Sleep, Super 8 Soundtrack e Mudpuddle Park.
Tre diari di canzoni scritte durante il tempo e registrate su un quattro piste tra
il 1998 e il 2000, ricche di una sensuale, stralunata e allegorica intensità
che percorre tutti i nastri di questa band di Portland.
Un tessuto pop fumoso, sghembo, ebbro, diviso tra folk, beat,
surrealismo che si sposa ad estasiati e inquietanti timbri vocali,
fra Guided By Voices e Supreme Dicks.
Oltre che la Elephant 6 di Robert Schneider, Will Hart e Jeff Magnum,
l'approccio di Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory ricorda vividamente
(in parallelo, nascendo nel contempo) Skygreen Leopards e The Birdtree della label Jewelled Antler,
dediti anch'essi a incursioni galattiche con la propria cantina di casa a fungere da Cape Canaveral;
timbri mistici psichedelici, scompensamenti low-fi accreditati come autentici e viscerali.

Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory modestamente chiamano "littlesongs" le proprie composizioni.
In riferimento più che alla brevità al senso appartato e distante di questa musica.
Certo é che il minimalismo formale si accompagna a soggetti
dream pop dall'emotività spesso infiammante, contagiosa.
L'enfasi di 'Picabo' e i cori armonici di 'Blue Crayon Portrait',
gli ardori che alterano la materia della memorabile 'Tunnel Traffic',
scintillante esotismo bacharachiano, straniscono e confondono con grande fascino.
Come anche 'Old Salt', pianura incrociata da echi e riverberi allucinati.
O l'abbagliante sinodo fra vocalismi passionali distesi e chitarra redentrice nella splendida
elegia 'Terminal Hotel', le venature acide e gli ampi spazi chitarristici in 'Doppler'.

Mudpuddle Park è un minuscolo e smarrito parco di divertimenti,
uno spirito folle, sospeso, arcano e stralunato.
Le arie beat folk in apertura nella title track rimandano al più autentico
misticismo sixties, rivisitato con spirito individualista e autonomo.

In effetti in questo album David Klopfenstein mostra di condividere alcuni
sogni e visioni con Robert Schneider del collettivo Elephant 6.
Medesima l'arte di compositore pop dei due; si fa lampante con l'ascolto
di brani tintinnanti quali 'Tabor and Blue', 'The Nap', 'Radiant Radish',
'Yer Dorky', emotive cantilene beatlesiane.
'Oaks Wheels' con le sue arie cerimoniali circensi potrebbe fare da leit motiv alla raccolta.
'Lonely-go-round' le fa da contraltare sull'altro lato.
La narcotiche allucinazioni di 'Lower Macleay' vessillo delle dolci,
devianti, eccentriche visioni di Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory.

Atmosfere trasognate a volte solenni, a volte acustiche;
costruite con strumenti classici (dalla chitarra all'organo,
dalle tastiere all'armonica) riverberi ed effetti sonori d'ambiente.
La bassa fedeltà è mezzo (e non fine), chiave di volta per stabilir contatto
universi sommersi, altrimenti preclusi, inaccessibili.

Definiremmo queste composizioni eufonie dissonanti, non per cercare l'effetto,
ma per l'autentica sensazione vissuta durante gli ascolti.
Chitarre strimpellanti, vocalismi celestiali e tenebrosi,
arcani e fluttuanti immerse in effetti atmosferici,
ambienti impregnati e stati d'animo fra lo gioioso, avvilito.
Melodie impenetrabili, immerse in atmosfere placenta, stranianti e stranite,
ne fanno dei Guided By Voices in preda all'emotività, estatici e dispersi,
similmente impressionisti, forse meno bozzettisti e più dediti al formato canzone.

Il senso della musica si fa tutt'uno imprendibile e inscindibile
con proprie forme atmosferiche ('Splashdown').
Spesso e volentieri Sauvie Island… incantano con sguardi alla melodia beat di grande effetto
come 'Noah's Daughter Infinity', 'Title Umpteen', 'Yerownville'."
Fabio Russo, Indiepop.it
Italy
September 2003
Reviews of "Super Eight Soundtrack" & "Mudpuddle Park" & "Wy'east Can't Sleep"


"The Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory appear here with an indiepop song
with a slight country tinge - but definitely not the naff sort of country.
A brilliant compilation with not one duff track.
Not to be missed if you're a fan of indiepop and related genres."
Aquamarine
U.K.
April 2003
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space" Volume 2


"Paolo!
I'm glad everything is working out for you.
Those of us who create for the love of it often tangle with the details of our own existence.
This is why I'm a waiter feeding tables three days a week and Linc works in a bookstore.
These days, don't we all live like Dostoyevsky?
I digress.

Thank you for the interview.
Like all good things, it was worth the wait.
Actually, your timing was perfect.
Alot has happened the last few weeks and you caught both Linc and I around the computer...

1. Ok, introduce yourself, you know, always that old opening question...
Where are you from, and where are you going to?

DK: Dave.
Portland, Oregon.
I'm slowly going from today to tomorrow under a little patch of sky.

LM: I'm Linc, from Portland also.
I hope to go to Italy some day.

2. Why people should NOT listen to your music.

DK: Long answer:
They lack the tools necessary to interface with our paradigm.
Short answer:
They hate lullabyes and tape hiss.

LM: Because they're out of hashish.
No really, you shouldn't listen to us if you want a slick clean sound
with nothing out of place or off-key.
We do what we do the only way we know how.

3. Three tapes on Best Kept Secret mean a lot of songs, do you have a kind of Muse?
What does music mean for you?

DK: A muse?
Yes, one could say that an epic romantic story with an unhappy ending
led to a thousand nights of songwriting.
She was amazing.
Life goes on.
To answer the second part, I'll paraphrase Brian Wilson:
I write about girls, cars -- in my case machines -- and where I live...
Music goes through you, like a radio.
It isn't from you.

LM: Dave is a song-making machine.
I just try to hang on.
I think it was Nietsche who said, 'without music, life would be a mistake.'

4. At Komakino, we think SIMRF is a real undiscovered 'gem'
-- are you in touch with any other label besides Best Kept Secret?
Do you perform live too?

DK: Thank you.
Our only goal is sharing our music.
To that end, it has been very difficult to find the right people.
Alessandro [Crestani - k's note] shares our philosophy and working with him is a pleasure.
We will be releasing Stolen: Honda Dream this year on Best Kept Secret.
Also, when we finally get some stuff to Bliss, we hope to be on an upcoming compilation.

I love to play live.
Ross & the Hellpets are my favorite Portland band.
It's always fun to share a night with them and I hope we tour together someday.
I also play drums for the Persimmons.

LM: You know, I've always thought so, but Alessandro is the first
to think it was worth putting on his label.
We play live when we can, but Portland has so many bands
that it's hard to get an interesting show put together.
I should add that we're ready to tour Europe any time...?

5. Do you listen to your own music in your everyday life?

DK: It plays in my head constantly.

LM: I put our old stuff on every once in a while
when I start to forget what it sounds like.

6. What bands/names can we relate to your songwriting?
Let's help people imagine what they risk to meet...

DK: I will side step that question this way:
If my space capsule washed up on a desert island
and I had to kill a little time before I met a Jeannie, I would need these records:
Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, the 8 1/2 soundtrack by Nino Rota,
Something Else by the Kinks and Sister Lovers from Big Star.
I would also want Linda Smith, the Clean and some old Roger Miller.
Then, I could look for Barbara Eden and Bill Dailey.

LM: Boy, that's a tough one for me.
I was reminded of Syd Barrett when I first heard Dave's stuff,
but I think he's past that phase...
I like everything, pretty much.
When I was really small, my parents played me a lot of Broadway musicals
and American folk music.

7. Rocket Isla..what?
Usually I don't ask about band's name... in your case, I do...

DK: It seemed long and absurd at a time when people were obsessed with one word band names,
so we kept it.
The ironic twist is that many dangerous defense facilities in the United States
are nestled in wildlife areas.
Sauvie Island is downstream from two of the most notorious.

LM: Sauvie Island is the largest fresh-water island in Western America.
There's your little geography lesson.
It's right here in the Portland area and you can take a #17 bus out there
from close to where I'm sitting, if you have all day.
The Moon Rocket Factory is a little thing Dave and his brother Tim
cooked up when they were little.
There's this grain silo there that is pretty intimidating to a little kid,
very big and ominous.
Why we decided to name our band that is another thing --
I guess it's the dorkiest thing we could come up with.

Thanks -- Dave & Linc"

Komakino
Italy
March 2003
Interview with Paolo




"Best Kept Secret, a tape label from Vicenza, proposes us
with 3 releases for Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory.
Mudpuddle Park is an album full of influences from 6o's,
with strong aspects of early R.E.M. and Pink Floyd of Barrett's age...
Honestly, it was a long long time and I didn't come across songs made like these ones --
it seemed that everybody had forgotten the lessons of the 8o's psychedelic revival,
but Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory didn't.
GREAT!

With songs from Wy' East Can't Sleep and Super 8 Soundtrack,
they take a distance from Stipe's band...
They sound more and more like skilled creators of certain lysergical
as well as soft atmospheres, thanks to a range of impressive ballads.
Songs are immersed in suggestive space scenographies, full of interstellar reverbs,
but also well chained within a songwriter formula.
Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory are some amazing creative calligraphists
(they remind me a bit of our local loved Jennifer Gentle --
after a psychiatric/mental treatment).
Put your hands on Mudpuddle Park (for me, it's got the best numbers)."

Vono Box, Komakino
Italy
March 2003
Reviews of "Super 8 Soundtrack" & "Mudpuddle Park" & "Wy'east Can't Sleep"


"Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory is the Portland, Oregon based duo
of David Klopfenstein and Lincoln McGrath, with the help of numerous guests.
The music is acoustic lo-fi and usually has a floating psychedelic quality.
Influences that come to mind include John Lennon and a country spiced Byrds style.
Klopfenstein is the principle songwriter and is an impressive one at that.
Listening to their first Best Kept Secret cassette, Mudpuddle Park,
I was often reminded of 60's pop-psych, perhaps a lá Olivia Tremor Control,
and the Rocket Factory's arrangements are sophisticated given the relative simplicity of the music.
Among my favorites are the trippy 'Cathedral Glass' and spacey 'Lower Macleay.'
'Magicubism' is similar but has a strong Beatles feel,
kind of like a valium laced 'Baby You're A Rich Man.'
And the boys even get a little cosmically experimental on 'Airplane Trap.'

Wy'east Can't Sleep features more excellent songs that draw on the same stylings.
The title track opens the set and is a beautiful intro that recalls the best
of 60's psychedelia, though with a bit of a progressive edge.
'Skunk Works Stomp' is a standout tune and I like the effect that little doses of dissonance give.
'Verbenagurl' is a haunting psych song with the vocal melody having
that John Lennon quality but accompanied by freaky atmospherics and dashes of noise.
'Someday' is a bouncy toe tapping acoustic song.
And how can you not love a song called 'Buster Crabbe's Circus'?
Side 2 of the cassette features a group of stylistically similar songs for the head,
many having a drugged Beatles feel and all being among the best songs from all three of these releases.
The closing track, 'Dumb Questions' is one of my favorites and one of those songs
that make it a near certainty that Klopfenstein is heavily influenced by Lennon.

If the first two cassettes have left you slathering for more Sauvie Island songs
then you'll not be disappointed with Super 8 Soundtrack.
The style is exactly the same but the songs are of equal strength.
The set opens strong with the excellent drifting 'Almost Ramona.'
'Picabo' is a similar but totally cosmic psych song.
'Tunnel Traffic' is a pop-psych tune with an almost Herman's Hermits sound.
'Pedalnaut' reminds me of the old Rolling Stones flowery psych style,
though the Rocket Factory inject their own little embellishments of strange sounds.
'Mrs. Cooper' is another of the bands trademark Lennon styled tunes.
And I love the whining trippy guitar licks on 'Doppler.'

In summary, Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory have impressive songwriter skills,
which they channel through a pop-psych sensibility of epic lo-fi proportions.
These guys really do a lot with just a little.
If you dig a good song, well executed within the confines of the basement,
then you should definitely check these folks out."
Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations
Issue #22
January 2003
Reviews of "Super 8 Soundtrack" & "Mudpuddle Park" & "Wy'east Can't Sleep"


"For a two man band they produce a full sound,
and Super 8 Soundtrack certainly has a number of catchy tunes on it...
'Pedalnaut' and 'P.S.' being quite commercial for a BKS tape...
it finishes with a jaunty instrumental, 'Let it Snow.'

Wy'east Can't Sleep once again combines a number of catchy,
almost pop tunes with some more experimental soundscapes.

The title track and 'Tabor and Blue' are a couple of their upbeat 'pop' songs...
which means Mudpuddle Park ends up as the most enjoyable of these albums."
Feedback
U.K.
Issue #71
January 2003
Reviews of "Super 8 Soundtrack" & "Mudpuddle Park" & "Wy'east Can't Sleep"


"Here are the second and third volumes in the Songs For the Lo-Fi Generation
compilation series from Best Kept Secret, one of the best purveyors of lo-fi talent around.
I'll give a quick rundown...

Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory is a Portland, Oregon band that sound
a bit like The Beatles, and even more like solo John Lennon.
Nice guitar combos...

In summary, shed your fears of cassettes and the lo-fi sound
because there are some excellent bands to check out on these comps.
Both are recommended."
Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations
Issue #22
January 2003
Review of "We Are Not Alone: Songs for the Lo-fi Generation" Volumes 2 & 3




"Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory's music is all spelled out in their name.
Their songs have the laidback, bohemian-life-in-the-country feel of groups
like Ladybug Transistor and Neutral Milk Hotel, making appropriate the reference
to Sauvie Island, a wildlife-centered landmark near Portland.
Yet, their songs are also positively space-bound.
They use guitars and other instruments to subtly sweep you into a dreamy haze,
and their lyrics have a surrealist bent that's evocative of other worlds.
Lastly, David Klopfenstein, the songwriter of the group,
does seem like a one-man music factory.
Then again, that could just be because I've taken in all three
of the group's full-length releases at the same time.
The songs on Mudpuddle Park, Wy'east Can't Sleep and Super 8 Soundtrack
were all written and recorded throughout the 90s.
While available locally before, the three recordings have just been released
internationally in cassette form, on the Italian label, Best Kept Secret.

Mudpuddle Park is filled with pop ditties that shuffle along
with both a classic Tin Pan Alley sound and a psychedelic 60s vibe.
The lyrics are emotion-packed yet offbeat.
They're portraits of times, places and nature that contain
as many non-sequitors and puzzles as they do feelings.
Nature seems to play a decently big role in the album,
yet it's always dealt with more as a mystery than something pat and easy to box in.
Take a line like this, which might not make literal sense but makes intuitive sense:
'Somewhere she hears me whistle all my love to the trees/somewhere she hears me whistle all my hate.'
The mood throughout Mudpuddle Park is bright with melancholy tinges.
Musically it's a very upbeat, fun album,
yet there's always a sense of something deeper going on, something beyond what we see.

Wy'east Can't Sleep opens with the sound of a guitar gracefully
breaking through the atmosphere with a beautiful melody.
Mellower than Mudpuddle Park, the tape carries through from that point
into a series of songs that play up the group's pretty, psych-folk side.
Their sound here lies somewhere between Bowie's Hunky Dory and Nick Drake;
it's moving further into space yet is also pastoral, still.
The bounciest pop song on Wy'east is a cover, Cub's 'Someday.'
Wy'east also pushes their lyrics further into psychedelia, as on one of the highlights,
the enigmatic 'Buster Crabbe's Circus,' which has great eccentric lyrics
like 'Snowcone rockets poison you.'

Super 8 Soundtrack has a similar atmosphere to Wy'east Can't Sleep,
but is even trippier.
These are traveler's songs for journeys into your own dreamworld.
'The sun is high, believe me,' Klopfenstein sings, and it sounds like he knows.
These songs are filled with harmonies that sound like the duo is drifting off into space.
Guitars sneak in and out, voices sing with abandon,
and moods and colors swirl around our ears.
'Go to the beach, where all the submarines pop up,' he sings at one point,
as if we know what he's talking about.
But perhaps we do.
On Super 8 Soundtrack, as on all of their recordings, Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory
create galaxies which feel like home, even as they seem like far-off dreams."
Dave Heaton, Erasing Clouds
Issue #12
January 2003
Reviews of "Super 8 Soundtrack" & "Mudpuddle Park" & "Wy'east Can't Sleep"


"There are dancing records.
There are break-up records.
There are records for manic positive energy and for dragging feelings of doom.
There are also records like this one...

You almost need a hammock to appreciate Super 8 Soundtrack,
because the songs blow by like a web of gossamer, their gentle harmonies
brushing your subconscious as they waft upward in the warm breeze.
Even when you try to pay attention, the lyrics flit away in butterfly wing bursts,
dissolving into fragments, leaving you not quite sure that you've guessed any of them right at all...

They create a kind of acoustic shoe-gazing sound, shimmering and multilayered but whisper-quiet.
The songs are not as surreally philosophical as, say Circulatory System,
but have the same otherworldly flavor.
There is also a strong Beatles influence, which reaches its acme in 'Old Salt'.
This air about love and age treats the same basic subject matter as
'When I'm 64' -- although it is considerably less literal...

These ten tracks are all very pleasant in a floating-down-the-stream-of-consciousness kind of way.
If you've got a long afternoon with nothing pressing ahead,
you could do a lot worse."
Jennifer Kelly, Splendid
January 14, 2003
Review of "Super 8 Soundtrack"


"Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory are probably the only band
with compelling psychedelic-tinged tunes that dissect Portland's history."
Cue
Portland Tribune
December 13, 2002


"Some guys you just can't keep down.
Battling a head cold, his country keyed up for war,
Ross Beach doggedly slaps an 'Attack Iraq? NO!' sticker on his chest...
"We're 'Attack Iraq? NO!' tonight," Beach says,
while bassist the Countess and Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory's Dave Klopfenstein,
subbing for regular Hellpet Chris Baker on drums,
chime in on...
"No!"
At that, the Portland trio launches into a set of power-pop,
Beach's jangling guitar hooks and deep vocals backed by the Countess' rollicking bass.
It's doubtful anyone, Beach included, takes the band's politicizing very seriously.
He just seems too cheerful to be upset or angry about anything.
Given that his songs largely concern death, darkness and emotional doom,
you would be tempted to call him a paradox."
J.D. Suntan, Willamette Week
December 11, 2002
Feature on Ross Beach


"Best Kept Secret is a prolific, and highly recommended tape label
that specialises in indiepop and other melodic music.
Most of the music is of a high quality,
and the tapes have some of the most professional packaging I've ever seen from a tape label.
We Are Not Alone is an ongoing series of compilation tapes,
of which BKS has recently released three new volumes...
Appearing on this volume are Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory...
who are just as atmospheric as a shoegazer band,
but aren't shoegazer as such, more psychedelic."
Aquamarine
UK
Issue #22
Summer 2002
Review of "We Are Not Alone: Songs for the Lo-fi Generation" Volume 2


"Best Kept Secret potrebbe sembrare, dal nome, una indie americana di
melanconico lo-fi-pop, tipo Sarah Records, oppure - a seconda della vostra
sensibilità - una marca di intimo femminile...
In realtà è una "tape label" di Vicenza che si occupa del variegato panorama musicale
"sotterraneo" di diversi paesi europei ed extraeuropei
(ma principalmente del nordeuropa: dunque Inghilterra, Svezia e Norvegia soprattutto),
e che in questo caso ci propone ben quattro compilazioni,
piuttosto varie e globalmente di discreto interesse.
Unica nota, si tratta per l'appunto solo ed esclusivamente di musicassette...
Non mi direte che avevate già dimenticato l'esistenza di questo formato così romantico!"
Sodapop
Italy
July 2002
Feature on Best Kept Secret


"Due sono le città americane di cui sono follemente innamorato e dove mi sono
quindi recato più di una volta (e dove prevedo, o quantomeno mi auguro,
di fare ritorno al più presto):
Austin, Texas e Portland, Oregon.
La ragione è semplice:
laggiù c’è una sacco di musica che attende di essere scoperta e ascoltata.
Tuttavia, se questo è un fatto risaputo per quel che riguarda Austin,
la quale da tempo è una delle capitali della scena alternativa (e non solo)
americana (basti pensare all’annuale festival South By Southwest,
la cui edizione 2002 si è appena conclusa), altrettanto non può dirsi per Portland,
che solo negli ultimi anni è prepotentemente salita alla ribalta del panorama
musicale d’oltreoceano, con un rigoglioso fiorire di gruppi ed etichette.

Tra queste ultime s’inserisce la giovane A Bouncing Space,
piccola casa discografica nata per iniziativa del pure giovane Jamey Gray,
prolifico artista a trecentosessanta gradi (pittore, fotografo e musicista),
originario del North Carolina, studente a Brooklyn, e ora residente in quel di Portland.
A Bouncing Space è nata quando Jamey ancora viveva nella Grande Mela,
quale tape label il cui obiettivo era principalmente quello di promuovere
i progetti solisti dello stesso Gray (99Cent Dream e Gessy),
ma che già con la raccolta Lunch with A Bouncing Space si era prodigata
a mettere in luce altre piccole e interessanti realtà provenienti da varie parti degli U.S.A.
(Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory, Hall Monitor, Dandelion Clocks, Alan Wiley).

Trasferitosi a Portland dopo aver terminato gli studi,
sul finire dello scorso anno Jamey ha deciso di compiere un salto di qualità,
passando al formato digitale e inaugurando il nuovo corso con la seconda
puntata della poc’anzi menzionata compilation.

Ross and the Hellpets, con il maturo e accattivante guitar pop di "It’s enough"
(gli Hellpets sono la nuova band di Ross Beach,
già membro anni addietro di Neutral Milk Hotel e Gerbils).

Vengono poi ospitati nomi che erano stati a suo tempo protagonisti della prima puntata:
Dandelion Clocks ("Closing time", semplice e strepitoso indiepop
intimista fatto di sola chitarra e voce femminile),
Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory ("Old Salt", registrato dal vivo) e,
naturalmente, 99Cent Dream , ossia lo stesso Jamey Gray, con "Nominal friends",
elegante brano pop, intenso e agrodolce, dai contorni orchestrali.

Fanno da cornice al tutto una splendida copertina e un’originale press-release articolata,
in armonia con il titolo della compilation, a mo’ di menù,
all’interno del quale ciascuna delle canzoni contenute nel cd coincide come
una portata e come tale viene simpaticamente presentata e descritta.
Oh be’, ho parlato a sufficienza.
Non so a voi, ma a me è venuta una gran fame.
Accomodatevi con me a tavola e servitevi pure.
Jamey è un bravissimo cuoco, ve lo garantisco.
garantisco."
Kathodik
Italy
April 30, 2002
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space" Volume 2


"A Bouncing Space is based in Portland, USA,
but surprisingly I know of three of the bands already.
Either it's a small world or I've been doing this fanzine too long?
The general category all these artists fall into is indie-pop.
Minimalist... lo-fi tendencies are a theme throughout and I get the feeling
that some of these bands are bedroom-based recording projects.
I mean this in the best possible way though
as many of the songs are superbly composed and bustling with ideas...
It's an interesting listen,
particularly if you're into home recording or songwriting yourself."
David Coleman, No Ripchord
UK
Issue #18
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space" Volume 2


"Dave Klopfenstein's regular outfit, Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory,
is best suited to playing mosquito-infested backyard BBQs;
tonight, the vaguely rockish Americana is stripped down to one man and his guitar.
Ross Beach ditches the horn-wearing Hellpets
and dusts off some old numbers from his days in Louisiana,
as well as a few new ones off a forthcoming solo release
and some covers that you'll likely know the words to.
A nice chance to catch a couple of Portland's Premier Singer-Songwriters
(who don't act like Premier Singer-Songwriters)."
J.D. Suntan, Willamette Week
February 2002


"Lunch With a Bouncing Space, Volume II, a nearly perfect collection of songs
from great indie-label pop-rock acts put together by A Bouncing Space.
Though the label's based in Portland, Oregon, the musicians here come from all over the world,
including San Francisco, Sweden, Australia, New Jersey and elsewhere.
Though the bands are generally of the pop-rock variety,
there's worlds of difference in the approaches they take to music.

There's many styles represented here, from the pretty,
ultra-melodic pop of The Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory
to the low-key, introspective pop of 99cent Dream...
each track here is top-notch (even the groups unfamiliar to be turned out to be great).
What makes this one of the more listenable compilation albums you'll hear
is not just the talent involved but the way that it was put together with an ear for continuity.
This album has an energy flowing through it;
each song fits snugly next to the one before and after it,
and together they all form a melodic, beautiful pop-rock creation."
Dave Heaton, Erasing Clouds
Issue #8
January 2002
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space" Volume 2


"Those not familiar with Ear Candy might not be aware
of our attitude towards compilation albums.
We don't rate them -
we treat them as a road map towards bands that beg a listen...
The Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory give a strange but interesting song in 'Old Salt.'
Plus, the singer is -- distinctive."
Gary Gold, Ear Candy
January 2002
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space" Volume 2


"Lo-fi here refers less to the physical characteristics of the sound recordings
-- in other words, most of those tracks don't sound too bad --
than to lo-fi as a general description of the attitude taken by the musicians involved.
These are people who make music because they want to, because they have to,
not because they think they can become rich and famous from it.
A phony ideal of 'perfection' isn't worth striving after.
This isn't about corporate-generated visions of what 'good music' sounds like;
it's about people creating.

We Are Not Alone Volumes 2, 3, and 4 showcase music that is,
generally speaking, pretty, dreamy and spacey,
more oriented towards 'out there' than here, more towards otherworldly sounds
than the harsher side of day-to-day living.
The music is rock, ambient, electronic, pop and more;
it's by musicians from all over the world.
What they have in common, besides a DIY attitude,
is a knack at using music to capture beauty.

With so much music (40 songs by the same number of musicians),
it'd be unfair to generalize too much.
It's also hard to mention every musician in one article when there's that many.
So instead of continuing with a broad overview,
I'd rather point out some of the highlights of these compilations
(all three of which are filled with enticing and unique songs)...

'Doppler' by Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory:
Fuzz-guitar meets laidback melody for a slightly psychedelic,
relaxed reaching towards the sublime,
with near-falsetto vocals and an intense crescendo toward the end."
Dave Heaton, Erasing Clouds
Issue #8
January 2002
Review of "We Are Not Alone: Songs for the Lo-fi Generation" Volumes 2, 3 and 4


"Tapes I have the luck to have received state on the cover Songs For The Lo-Fi Generation.
The Best Kept Secret is an Italian, tape-label.
Part of the bands it supports, here on Komakino are names already noted.
And moreover, pictures are clear (yes?):
Aliens.
And more often for your musical tastes you have to feel an alien.
But, as it writes and proves here, We're Not Alone!
How beautiful.
What can I add more?
This label is an indie pearl, non profit-promotrice."
Komakino
Italy
Issue #9
December 2001
Review of "We Are Not Alone: Songs for the Lo-fi Generation" Volume 2


"Oh yes, a real lunch with A Bouncing Space records, Portland, Oregon, USA --
appetizing lunch, with 12 courses.
How nice, this compilation comes with a paper menù,
divided up in appetizers, entrées, desserts,
- a variety of bands from all over the world,
débuts and not, different styles.
I press play...

To close,
The Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory, a local, live broadcast
-- very nice pop with 50s memories -- (!) -- extremely agreeable."
Komakino
Italy
Issue #9
December 2001
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space" Volume 2


"Ross and the Hellpets are quite nice indiepop, the ever lovely Hydroplane follow...
the last few songs include a live track from the bouncy Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory."
Indiepages
December 12, 2001
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space" Volume 2


"This compilation is best summed up by it's title;
each of these generally underproduced recordings has it's own intricacies and subtle moods,
which vary depending on their unique combinations of instrumentation and recording.
Best Kept Secret provides a small but stable stage for this international group of inspired artists...
and will impress even the most stringent critics.

Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory provides an aural experience that's ripe
for interstellar space-rock travel;
you're invited to listen as the band strums itself into orbit.
With an airy, yet delicately tempermental atmosphere, SIMRF will ring your head
(phones) into a cloud of sweet smelling smoke that'll lull you to gentle slumber.

Overall, this cassette-only release is extremely inspiring...
The medium may not be very accessible in today's digital world,
but the music here is worth the trouble it will take to obtain your own copy."
Andrew Magilow, Splendid
December 7, 2001
Review of "We Are Not Alone: Songs for the Lo-fi Generation" Volume 2


"One of the best songs is by the Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory, who are, at best,
cute and harmonious with their melodies and, at worst, kind of like the Beatles..."
Katia Dunn, Portland Mercury
December 6, 2001
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space" Volume 2


"Dream-pop is alive and well, as this intoxicating comp makes clear.
Lifting off... the second in a (best kept) secret series sets its control
for the heart of the sun and arrives in record time.
An international crew is aboard...
Take off your helmet and breathe deeply."
Jim Santo, Demo Universe
September 21, 2001
Review of "We Are Not Alone: Songs for the Lo-Fi Generation" Volume 2


"Scour the internet with enough vigor and you may stumble upon a few websites
advocating the secession of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia
and the formation of a new Republic of Cascadia...

If such a revolution ever did come to pass,
I'd nominate the men of the Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory
to take over the fledgling nation's space program.
Yes, I know that their meditative, supremely gorgeous dream pop
may not smack of daring exploits on the final frontier.
But if they could redirect the energy they've invested in creating
their slumber-bound laments and homemade siren songs,
they could certainly take us beyond gravity's grasp."
Zach Dundas, Willamette Week
September 19, 2001
Musicfest NW Preview


"Trippy neo-60's psychedelic dream popsters...
I dig the slide guitar!"
Losing Today
'Dream-Pop Radio'
Summer 2001
Review of "Almost Ramona"


"The temporary restraining order on Fame & Fortune
for these stalwart ensembles has now been lifted...
The Hellpets' tasteful blend of psychedelic pop and barroom melee makes for a fitting finish
to an evening opened by the Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory,
whose recent triple-CD release marks a high-water point
for the three-piece's country-rock.
A soundtrack for the perfect backyard BBQ,
performed live before a roomful of listeners who undoubtedly deserve less.
Enjoy."
Willamette Week
April 12, 2001


"Q: What keeps you doing this?

A: Just when you think you've heard it all,
you get a new CD in from a band called the Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory!
That's one of the cool things about Portland...
everybody's got the space and the freedom
and the means to at least take a shot at doing what they like to do.
I can't think of another town I'd like to live in."
Don Campbell interviewing Marc Baker about his 10 years as host of the Church of Northwest Music on KBOO
The Oregonian
March 2, 2001


"The kosmonauts from Sauvie Island issue a sharp challenge to slackers,
bar-napkin planners and couch-bound underachievers everywhere.
Since when does a relatively unheralded local indie band think it can
debut its first label-sanctioned release
with a motherloving triple-disc box set?
The sheer damn nerve!

Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory's 3*2*1 has the further sass
to back up it's audacity with better-than-solid homemade pop.
Mostly slow and sad, these songs float in a haze of sweet guitars,
shambling drums and garage echo.
Even though most of the recordings are gritty four-track takes
(wanker audiophiles, beware),
a definite poise and polish informs the whole enterprise."
Zach Dundas, Willamette Week
February 21, 2001
Review of "3-2-1" box


"Matching Portland's inconsistent energy levels and manic-depressive mood swings,
the band uses minimalist drumming and sharp-edged guitar chords
to sketch a wide reaching audio mural of the city.

In the same way that the Monkees' gleeful music easily framed Davy Jones...
these songs evoke a blurry-eyed picture of a Mod,
head tucked low against the gray and wet February,
strolling down West Burnside.

From the mournful harmonizing on Wy'east Can't Sleep
to the giddy carnival of Mudpuddle Park
the 3-CD set is an astute and wide-ranging soundtrack for Portland."
Phil Busse, Portland Mercury
February 15, 2001
Review of "3-2-1" box


"Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory will lend a touch of irony to the evening.
Its nitrous-influenced, mock '60s rock is chock full of lightheaded slide guitar bends,
doo wop bass lines, and spaced out vocal melodies."
Rory Carroll, Portland Mercury
January 18, 2001


"Yay! More honest rock that is not only tolerable, but actually enjoyable!
Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory get busy like it's Athens, GA circa 1992.
You won't feel pretentious, and you may even dance.
It's a miracle!"
Julianne Shepherd, Portland Mercury
January 18, 2001


"If ABS ever starts releasing CDs,
they will be a force to be reckoned with in the indie pop market...
The Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory (great name)
turn in a beautifully hissing song of wonder, love and hope...
Make no mistake, Lunch With A Bouncing Space,
Volume One is one of the finest,
though perhaps the shortest pop compilations I've heard in a long, long time."
Jason Jackowiak, Splendid
April 17, 2000
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space"

"The first ABS comp definitely expresses label honcho
Jamey Gray's affection for tender, melancholy, mildly trippy indie-pop;
indeed, the nine acts showcased here
-- 99cent Dream, The Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory,
Hall Monitor, Gessy, Dandelion Clocks, Alan Wiley, Persona,
The Cobra La's and Water Puddles --
are so akin that if you didn't know better,
you might think they were different incarnations of the same band.

This is not a bad thing, mind you, for two reasons:
First, Gray has good taste.
Secondly, as with all classic indies
-- 4AD, K, Creation, Homestead, etc. --
A Bouncing Space hews closely to a particular aesthetic,
fostering trust between label and buyer;
if you like one ABS release, chances are you'll find merit in all of them."
Jim Santo, Demo Universe
January 24, 2000
Review of "Lunch With A Bouncing Space"

"Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory have put together a wonderfully dreamy cassette.
It's songs are drenched in reverb,
it's textures are nicely layered, and it all works beautifully.
The opening song, 'Almost Ramona,' has a Mazzy Star feel;
with nice steel guitar and vocals traded by David and Linc.
It makes me feel like I'm on a quiet beach at sunset.

Elsewhere, a trombone is utilized to interesting effect on the familiar, but not, 'Pedalnaut.'
Super Eight Soundtrack reminded me a lot of Big Star's, Sister Lovers.
I kept expecting to hear, 'Stroke it Noel.'
My friend Melanie said it sounded 'old' which I think was a compliment."
Rob Christensen, Tape Op
Issue #13
Summer 1999
Review of "Super 8 Soundtrack"


Home