Album: Human Ceremony
Year: 2016
. . .
As y’all know by now, one of my favorite subcategories of Certain Songs is songs about Space. SPACE! And while those songs basically peaked around the time when we stopped going to the Moon, it doesn’t mean that I don’t love when youngish bands write songs in that tradition. Because I do!
And they didn’t get much younger than Sunflower Bean, who were all basically teenagers when they wrote and recorded their debut album, 2016’s Human Ceremony, which bass player & singer Julia Cummings described as “neo-psychedelia for the digital age,” which is why it made sense for it to close with a song called “Space Exploration Disaster.”
Anchored by Nick Kivlen’s jagged, echoy guitar riffs, what I like about “Space Exploration Disaster” wasn’t that it was set in the future, but rather right now, with Kivlen & Cummings harmonizing on the knowing opening verse.
In the year two thousand and thirteen
No one can hear you scream
I don’t know why that cracks me up, but I think it has something to do with the fact that they not only name a year, but by the time anybody actually heard the song, that year was three years in the past — and of course, the Alien reference goes back even further. Anyways, what makes “Space Exploration Disaster” for me is the chorus, sung as a call-and-response between Kiven & Cummings.
Float away from the planet
(Float away from the planet)
Float away from the planet
(Float away from the planet)
On a peak sensation
(Float away from the planet)
Float away from the planet
(Float away from the planet)
One thing I’ve noticed is that there are two types of songs about SPACE! One type is where space is the place to hang out and party with your buddies — songs like “Space Truckin” or “Space Station #5” or even last week’s “Man on The Moon.”
The other type, of course, reminds me of The Expanse — where in every episode there was at least one scene about how space wants to kill your ass — and is typified by songs like “Space Oddity” or “The Commander Thinks Aloud.”
In case the chorus of “float away from the planet” — or the title for that matter — wasn’t enough of a hint, there is a bridge where Kiven does a little bit more exposition while the guitars turn from jagged and echoplex to crashing and burning, placing “Space Exploration Disaster” within the second type of SPACE! song.
All the men were calm on the ship
‘Cause they knew it would be quick
All the men were calm on the ship
As the anticipation hits
And I pray to God to send them an angel
And I pray to God to send them an angel
And they got down on their knees
And asked the Baby Jesus, “Please”
But God just turned His head away
After that, there are a few more chants of “float away from the planet” and longish coda where Kiven’s guitar kinda floats away from the rest of the song.
“Space Exploration Disaster”
“Space Exploration Disaster” live on KEXP, 2016
“Space Exploration Disaster” live acoustic, 2016
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Ha, now I’m really curious if you’re gonna write an entry on My Favourite Sunflower Beam Song. We”ll wait, we’ll see.
Plus, after a glass of rum the letters in the title seemed to have flipped, as I read it as Space Defloration Ex… “Wait, what?! Oh, never mind.”