Quickspace :: Precious Falling
Photo: Etienne Vernaeve
Eventually settling on the title Quickspace, the London-based outfit Quickspace Supersport originally formed from the accelerated ashes of Th' Faith Healers in the early to mid-1990s, and has since faded into infamous indie-rock obscurity after their last run in 2005. Like most projects that share a similar stratosphere from this era, Quickspace released three incredible studio albums, the last being 2000’s “The Death Of Quickspace,” and several singles throughout its decade-long run, before retiring indefinitely. Even though its legend lies dormant for future listeners to discover, there’s a tonal treasure trove of poetic potential to inspire bands to start somewhere with whatever you’ve got. Led by frontman Tom Cullinan (Dougal Reed), the group experienced several lineup changes over the years, while focusing on melodic mechanics and the visceral values of volume. After their 1996 self-titled debut, the band quickly released their brilliant sophomore album, “Precious Falling,” in 1998, during the infamous Y2K hysteria. Praised by the late John Peel and accepted by peers such as Stereolab and Sebadoh, Quickspace captured the trepidatious textures of 1970s Krautrock by demonstrating the dynamics between pop and polarizing power.
With eager efforts expressed by members such as Sean Newsham, who was part of the band’s original lineup, Nina Pascale, Paul Shilton, Steve Denton, who had just recently replaced Chin, and the prolific prowess of Tom Cullinan, the new formation quickly helped to bring the atmosphere of the album to an all-time high, while simultaneously strategizing the overall sonic elements that make this body work so sophisticated and rich in reverberation. Exploring the ecosystem of existential bliss and cinematic comfort, Cullinan and company release the radiating rumours of a world gone mad by honing in on their craft for a sublime listen from start to finish. “Precious Falling” carefully captures the electrifying essence of the band’s vision and eternal mechanics by exposing the ethereal emotion expressed within its fundamental fibers. Released exactly 26 years ago in late August, the group shifted their sights and leaned into the liberation of songwriting, and the more validated vibrations that come with the tonal territory of words exchanging whispers with instruments. With tracks like “Coca Lola,” “Quickspace Happy Song # 2,” “Obvious,” and “Take Away” highlighting the harmonious balance of the band’s epic entry into indie rock iconism, their liberating legacy is concrete, while the mysteries of their memory continue to unfold into the universe. Caressing the ears of listeners with synth-based soundscapes and gyrating guitar explosions, the album breaks down the bashful barriers between fiction and freakout as its energetic ecosystem evaporates into the space-time continuum. The band stretches the legitimacy of lounge music by intimately introducing sonic situations across the album’s captivating core from one end of the galaxy to the other.
