Radio Massacre International

Despite notation, music naturally exists in linear time. The trio of drummer Steve Dinsdale, bassist Duncan Goddard and guitarist Gary Houghton (who all play keyboards and twiddle knobs) are aware of this unavoidable constraint of music, building their reputation as Radio Massacre International on a commitment to playing "in the moment," with intuition as their guide. Having released over 30 albums in 15 years, many of those offhand, improvised moments have been isolated from their contexts, capturing almost every aspect of their prog, Krautrock and electronic Kosmische Musik leanings. Time & Motion, in particular, is a two-and-a-half-hour exploration of space rock wrapped in loping guitar and Klaus Schulze synth lines, with added effects and reeds provided by Martin Archer. Yet, while their forbearers made forward-looking, groundbreaking albums that outlived the style and technology in which they were recorded, Time & Motion comes off like a few geeks simply trying to recreate the past with "better" gear. Technically speaking, the album is up there with the classics, but it comes off as 30 years late to the party, rather than being of and for the time it was made. As such, RMI are an experience best had in person.