The two founding members of
Midstates (Paul Heintz and Steve Munoz) hit several obstacles since their first record. Despite several lineup changes, the closing of Audio Information Phenomena records, and a name change from Novasonic Down Hyperspace, one thing remains constant: the Chicago band's ability to write celestial space rock. Chiming guitars, delicate Wurlitzer, and easygoing vocals once again bring to mind
Spiritualized and
Galaxie 500, though they also tread in similar wonderlands as
the Flaming Lips with their grand orchestrations. Singalong vocals with a bunch of friends (not quite a choir) in "Independency" is great faux-gospel and just one of several nice arrangements. Blues and jazz find their place as well, like when
Midstates rock out on "Clear the Clouds," which features the typical space rock line "I don't know the way home and the stars won't show me the way (it's so cloudy)." Fortunately, the band found its way to Mental Monkey and released yet another floating-in-space rhapsody. ~ Kenyon Hopkin