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| 1 | Yuri's Dream | | | | 2 | Hair Shirt | | | | 3 | Ozymandias | | | | 4 | Cromwell | | | | 5 | Masters Among Us | | | | 6 | Verlaine's Lament | | | | 7 | Hitch Hiker | | | | 8 | Eulogy for a Cosmonaut | | | | 9 | Nocturne | | |
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servalan
 A Pint of Mild and a packet of Nik Naks
CD-R
[Rating8272627]
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This feels more like an extended ep than an album- which is a shame because theres some great songs in there, unfortunately they're lost amidst too much waffle and some rather too twee instrumentals. But as for the feeling of floating through space- its there and can't be avoided. I was walking around for days singing hairshirt to myself. Great stuff.
Blimey! |
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warpig01
 Great
CD-R
[Rating20448294]
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On Rocket Rapture is one of the most highly regarded Pickering Pick albums on RYM, and it isn't hard to hear why. This is fairly standard stuff for Pickering Pick; simple folky singer/songwriter fare, but the songs on here are just better, sounding like they really deserve to be on record shop shelves with the artists like Nick Drake that they take influence from. In particular, "Ozymandias" stands out as a stirring, subtle track that is the highlight of the album for me, and "Hairshirt" deserves a mention for being incredibly catchy and uplifting. Really though, I could talk about any of the songs here in such complimentary terms. On Rocket Rapture is a fantastic album and is definitely worth the download. |
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cherryeater
 Wolf Blass Shiraz
CD-R
[Rating8558688]
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Loosely based on the life of Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin who, as everyone knows, was the first human in space, On Rocket Rapture marks a return to the simpler musical arrangement for Sam Pickering Pick. As with the three other albums of his I have downloaded off this site, the quality of the lyrics is the highlight, able to bring to life the scenes and images they describe. Yet this album is, of the four, the one I have the least affection for.
The reason for this is not difficult to explain. First of all, while many of the other albums have a theme, this one has a concept, yet it is a concept which is frequently reduced to the most tenuous of links – the references to other historic figures, tragic in their own way, such as Cromwell and Shelley are examples. Second, the wistful, almost plaintiff quality of Sam’s voice is sometimes struggling to adapt itself to the tale of the hero who turned against his masters. Yet neither of these issues are critical. Every artist has to stretch his talent and while these may be seen as flaws, they may also be seen as strengths. Individually they do not cause me to hold this album in lesser regard. After all, this is masterful song writing. The musicianship is of a sensitivity and a delicacy that it remains evocative and haunting.
For me the weakness lies in the fact that the album is a departure from Sam’s other work. Sam is, as I have mentioned on another review, at his best when he is singing in the first person. The “I” and the “me” are the greatest features of his best songs. An album about a Russian cosmonaut, no matter how well constructed, cannot be sung with the true “I” and “me” content. While the lyrics remain the highlight, they lack that personal touch here, hence the reason why I struggle with this album more than any other of his works. |
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Halogenerate
Starburst Tropical Fruit Chews
Digital
[Rating8803038]
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"Every dream I have, I am very young/My mother put me in my favorite chair."
So begins on rocket rapture, Pickering Pick's stunning concept album about the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
The comparisons to Nick Drake are inevitable: Pickering sings in a voice edged with sorrow and hurt, and the arrangements are often spare - usually a lone acoustic guitar, occasionally accompanied by a piccolo accordion. What separates Drake and Pickering, though, is the latter's warmth. Brilliant as he is, Drake's personal aloofness can be felt in his songs.
Pickering drifts through the life of Gagarin, evoking the memory of other historic figures - Cromwell, Verlaine, and Shelley. Each song carries its own story, but all are linked together seamlessly as a larger story.
on rocket rapture ends with a captivating trilogy of songs. "Hitch Hiker" is a stark, brooding ballad highlighted by Pickering's haunted voice and elegant phrasing. "Eulogy for a Cosmonaut", the highlight of the album, is steeped in sorrow. Beginning with the memorable opening lines: "The eventual success of my life will depend on my understanding of the days in my life." As the song slowly builds to its crescendo, Pickering pleading becomes more desperate. The piccolo accordion becomes louder and the song ends in a collision of sound that, whether intentional or not, seemingly echoes Gargarin's own death in a plane crash. "Nocturne" is a soft, acoustic instrumental that perfectly echoes the hollowness of death.
A lovely collection of songs. |
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BradL
CD-R
[Rating7270667]
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If you've read my reviews of Pickering Pick's first two albums, you'll have noted a lot of name-dropping. There are two reasons for that. First, it's what I do. Secondly, though, it was easy to name-drop because there were so many obvious names to drop; as good as those records were, Pick hadn't transcended his influences.
Here's where he begins. This is a song cycle about an unlikely subject: the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human being in space, who was hailed as a hero in the USSR upon his return, but later became something of a thorn in the side of the authorities and who died mysteriously in 1968.
Pick resists the urge to beef up the "amazing science" aspects of the story with "space rock" touches or burbling synths. This music is stripped-back and stripped-down: principally acoustic guitar, with occasional touches from a piccolo accordian (whatever that is). I'm reminded of Tarkovsky's film Solaris, which underlines the vastness and emptiness of space with a Bach organ prelude; On Rocket Rapture does something similar with its sad minimalist folk, reminding us not of how "new" Gagarin's story is, but how old: one man touches the frontiers of experience and is forever changed by it, set apart from the rest of humanity.
There are some wonderful songs here. I'm particularly fond of "Masters Among Us" and "Ozymandias" -- Pick's lyrics, more complex and yet somehow straighter than before, are rich and revealing. As a singer, too, he is sounding more individual and confident. On Rocket Rapture is an intriguing work that spins a spell, and I think you should hear it. |
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tezza
Digital
[Rating4278913]
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Unlike Mission Hill, this is a straight folk album. Just a man with his guitar.
It's a sad, lonely, poignant and thoughtful work. I guess the solo spaceman might have been lonely, but I imagine the reality was they were probably too busy flying the craft to ever have the kind of thoughts expressed in some of the songs here. Flying a space capsule into orbit and back with all those buttons and dials and things the pilot had to do wouldn't have allowed too much time for contemplation. It could be a life changing experience though, there is no doubt about that. Perhaps the lonely contemplation came later.
To listen to, the album can be rather depressing and too much the same...but it has it's own quiet beauty, the instrumental "Nocturne" in particular.
A sincere piece, and that sincerity certainly comes through. And's its freely available to all! |
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JE_Androcoen
day of the dead
Digital
[Rating2638739]
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Finally this is my favorite pickering pick album. Not too much better than Attic Tapes or Trafalgar but it is special for me. All the songs are pure, sweet and melodic. Intruments are different from other albums. Yuri Gagarin concept is really original. It smells like bowie's ziggy stardust in some parts.
This boy will be a good folk, country artist. His indepent, pure music is exciting. These albums will be my nice special albums. |
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SeaBelt
9/10
Digital
[Rating2180067]
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Pickering Pick's On Rocket Rapture was an amazing listen. I'm really taken by his ability to convey so much with such a sparse arrangement. The detached silence of space is captured with only a voice, guitar & some well placed flourishes of piccolo accordion. I don't know if this was a conscious decision or the result of what Sam was working with at the time of recording but...it works perfectly. This unornamented combination of intelligent lyrics and tastefully laid back folk arrangements expose not only a gifted songwriter, but a damned fine singer and storyteller as well.
I see by the reviews that thankfully I'm not the only one who feels this way. Please do yourself a favor and listen to all of Pickering Pick's music - it's here for you to savor and enjoy. Magnificent stuff. |
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barlights
Try and Find it on Sale
Digital
[Rating1811287]
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Quiet folk songs about a true hero. Sam has taken the concept album to an entirely new place with this and Trafalgar. Musically sounding like Nick Drake, and lyrically like a history professor (I mean that in the best possible way), I'm once again impressed with the work of an RYMer. Even if he is a punkass. |
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multiverse
Quality Certified
Digital
[Rating1304200]
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Pickering Pick did it again.
_On Rocket Rapture_ is another display of talent.
Albums such as this proves me that sometimes the best music isn't available through record labels or at stores.
David Bowie once said that his favourite artist was a completely unknown friend of him that made music in a god's forgotten place.
_On Rocket Rapture_ follows the same folky path started with The Attic Tapes, but believe it or not his last album is even slower which is kind of a dangerous thing when it comes to music based on simplicity. Don't get me wrong I love simplicity combined with beauty or talent and in this case both combinations take place, but when all the songs are pretty much in the same down mood and that slow it gets difficult to listen to it completely without pausing it. If he would have a put a single up tempo song on the middle of the album maybe it would have changed the conception of the album, but it would have added a touch of variety that it would have ended helping On Rocket Rapture.
Anyway, the album has three songs that absolutely kill me: "Masters Among Us", "Verlaine's Lament" and "Hitch Hiker". In my opinion the first of those three is Pickering Pick's best song. |
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rym
