Brainstorm's second album came out at the height of the CD boom. It would only be two years later that downloading full albums became an easy task, and the demise of CDs had begun. Vinyl then saw its resurgence at the end of the decade, and CDs were being pushed to the side, frequently scoffed at by audiophiles and collectors alike. The final death knell was the advent of streaming. At that same time I was attempting to field all the CD promos we'd receive at Gnosis. I had some help, but none of us could keep up with the volume. And my job situation in 2006 was pure chaos. I could barely keep above water with work, family, music, friends, etc... blaaahhh!
This prelude sets up what will ultimately become the next cave diving expedition for collectors: What happened to all those CDs released by MySpace, CD Baby, privates (like this), and others from the early to mid 2000s? I find CDs all the time at thrift shops that aren't in Discogs. Most look to be of the country, indie, and alt rock genres, which I don't enjoy, so I leave them back. But sometimes I find real unknown gems, usually from the metal or neo psych camps. Back to Brainstorm. Here's a space rock band from Australia trying to get noticed on the larger world stage, but ultimately got lost in the shuffle that was 2005/06. Had they come around only a decade earlier, they would be far more known today among progressive rock aficionados. The 90s saw plenty of bands like Brainstorm receive magazine press, decent CD sales, and much chatter on fan boards. What did Brainstorm get for their efforts? Aural Innovations wrote a positive review; Gnosis has two ratings (including me); RYM has three ratings (including me); and Discogs shows an ownership of five (including me). ProgArchives has two ratings (not including me haha). I feel confident in saying that the album wasn't made for me personally, so what the heck happened? It's not like the band broke up here (they may still be going). Seven years later they managed an even more obscure release (how is that even possible?). Of course, some of it is their own damn fault. Naming your band Brainstorm, a moniker used by about 50 other groups, didn't help. If you search on RYM, you have to go three pages deep to find them (and hopefully you know they're Australian).
OK, a lot of words about the provenance, but what of the music? Well I guess that's the sad part here - because had this been released in 1995 instead of 2005, it would be more highly regarded. They take the Hawkwind blueprint (who doesn't in the space rock world?) and add a level of complexity not usually associated with the genre. It works well as both progressive rock and space rock - more Nektar than Hawkwind actually. The vocals are flat and monotone (typical of the genre), but otherwise the musicianship is excellent here. And the tracks unravel in a very interesting way. Early era Mandragora might be a good comparison here. After all these years, I finally had the chance to absorb this album. +1 listen.
Well - I didn't do my part in helping either, so I have to say sorry for that. But I'm here to say that this album will age well, and collectors will eventually find it. Maybe.
The band appears to still be kicking around. Bandcamp shows a release as late as 2020. My goodness. Obscurest until the end apparently. Maybe this post will shine some positive light on them.
Ownership: CD: 2005 private. Sent to Gnosis by the band a year later. Standard jewel case release with lyric and picture booklet.
2006; 11/4/23 (new entry)
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