Slipstream

Led by former Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized guitarist Mark Refoy, Transcendental features mostly unheard Slipstream material recorded from 1996 to 2002. Though it sounds a lot like the first couple of Spiritualized records — even Refoy’s emotionally drained vocals recall Jason Pierce — it’s important to remember that Refoy played a big role in creating that sound. Feigning the noise rock pretensions of his former bands, Transcendental is pretty and soothing; it makes for great listening in your dark bedroom on a cold night. Refoy has a knack for creating lush, layered arrangements with basic rock instrumentation and his melodies, while simple and derivative, stick with you. It might not replace The Perfect Prescription or Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space at the top of your fave psych albums list but Transcendental is a worthy addition to any space rock fan’s collection.