The Pillbugs, from Toledo Ohio, have been making music for almost a decade now and Buzz For Aldrin is their fourth album and most expansive outing to date, being a twenty four track double cd. Their musical style nestles in prime '67-'68 psychedlic territory and as often stated by this reviewer, you have to be good at writing in this style to make it not sound either twee or calculating and although there are some obvious influences on display here, it has all been done with care and love for the genre and so can rightly take it's place amongst some truly great albums.
'Walking Along an Edge of Sky' starts the album with plenty of hooks, great melodies and vocal harmonies; a great way to draw the listener in the this collection of songs. 'It Seems You are So Happening' features some delicate acoustic guitar work and vocal whimsy. 'King of Zorg' features a signature guitar riff that you think you might have heard somewhere before and has some 'fab' influences here and there, but is well executed in both instrumentation and vocal delivery. 'Lost Lonely Sailor' is a lush vocal ballad with a majestic piano accompaniment and some nice trumpet flourishes. '4 Sec Nightmare in a 5 Sec Dream' gives you all the backwards guitar and sitar you could wish for in a dose of classic psyche loveliness! 'Sidecar' features lots of vocals and recalls the lost art of lush harmonies that weave in and out of the fabric of a song, great stuff! 'Buzz for Aldrin' is one of the darker and moodier songs on the album, with some quite heavyish guitar riffing in places, but is lifted by the ever present high quality vocals and harmonies.
There are a lot of songs on this release, but the standard remains high throughout and it's very apparent that a lot of hard work has gone into it all The songwriting, arrangements and recording are all top drawer and so add up to an absorbing and uplifting experience. This type of psychedelic music should have a lightness of touch and should above all be entertaining, thought provoking and enjoyable and this album can be regarded as an antidote to a lot of 'modern' music that is made by 'moaning minnies' grinding their axe in public. I'm happy to report that The Pillbugs tick all the right boxes and this album is a worthwhile addition to any collection of quality psychedelic albums.
Reviewed by Kevin Wallbank of M100 and Honeymoon on Mars
