Since it’s Halloween week, and I always associate Orson Wells’ War of the Worlds broadcast with the holiday, it seemed like a decent time for posting proper on some Simply Saucer. Though their name sounds like an item you might pick up at your nearby intergalactic grocery stop, their astral psychedelic garage transmissions more than make up for poor title decisions (I mean, their quintessential album is titled Cyborgs Revisited… Ridley Scott, you own them some royalties, dudebro).

The influences are obvious – early Floyd, 13th Floor Elevators, the Velvets’ “Sister Ray,” Delay 68 Can, Electric Prunes, et al. While those groups fine-tuned their sound and still maintained a compositionally tight feel despite their freewheeling image, Simply Saucer had no interest in aesthetic. Every song sounds as if it was recorded live with cheap tape recorders.  Its gorgeously raw sound and low-end clipping mix gives Simply Saucer extra (possibly unintended) atmosphere. It’s too bad that Simply Saucer was never known too far outside their native Ontario, as they really captured, at least in my mind’s eye, the archetypal ’60s/early ’70s psych movement from a candid, outsider perspective. Being removed from what was happening in England and the West Coast is totally an asset to Cyborgs Revisited.

They were also, apropos to the time, totally insane “Illegal Bodies” was recorded live and begins with some poignant stage banter about the next song: “Here’s some heavy metaloid music. It’s called ‘Illegal Bodies.’ It’s a song in the future. It’s when, uh, unless you have a metal body, they’re not gonna allow you to walk the streets. No kiddin’.” Right on, man. Among the strongest tracks are “Here Come the Cyborgs, Part 2″ and “Dance the Mutation,” both of which dabble heavy in United States of America-style noise, including theremin sounds and other flourishes. Rather than rip into solos and what-not, Simply Saucer resorted to their acumen for cultivating a disorienting mood, adding effects and textures that resembled some cross between a first respondent siren and sound effects from The Day the Earth Stood Still. Around 3:05 and after on “Dance the Mutation,” you’ll probably notice early rumblings of what will later become shoegazing. You need Simply Saucer if you’re a Spacemen 3 fiend.

Also, there’s a pretty sweet review of Cyborgs Revisited on Amazon.com from a dude who calls himself “Farmer Ted”:

“Yo. This album is hot.
They drop bombs and don’t mess around.
I can’t believe more popel have not heard of this.
When you want a band that just rips it up nice…
Simply Saucer.
It’s the mad sweet old just ripping and going for it.
No one wants to do that anymore…
Well…Simply Saucer did.
Buy it. “

MP3 :::
Simply Saucer – Here Come the Cyborgs (Part 2)
Simply Saucer – Dance the Mutation