POLLEN

A reasonable but not spectacular debut for Pulsar. Appropriate to the band's name, the musical style here is firmly in the space rock vein, tending towards the quiet, dreamy atmospheres of Pink Floyd as opposed to the chugging fury of Hawkwind. The vocals, to be honest, add nothing, and the flute work of Roland Richard seems rather aimless and unsatisfying. However, the keyboard work is wonderfully evocative, and the band are clearly onto something - though what it is seems rather hard to grasp, especially since as soon as the music stops I struggle to recollect what I've just heard. Pulsar here attain the dreaminess of space rock but fail to attain the power, majesty, and memorableness of the best works in the field, with the result that the album falls rather in the middle of the road. There's talent here, but it's not in full flower yet.