The Moonlandingz – No Rocket Required Review

Music can change your life. The Moonlandingz hopes to share this thrill, the feeling of being moulded by sound. An expression of creativity not for the sake of it, but in the hope of capturing those sudden, lightbulb moments. We are moved by creativity into our own creativity. What inspires us is the art behind us. No Rocket Required, the second album from the Sheffield-featuring group, relies on the spirit of art as an overlapping, loving place. Iggy Pop, Nadine Shah, and Ewen Bremner are just a few of the wonderful names to crop up on this Adrian Flanagan-featuring project. Acid Klaus and The Moonlandingz are bringing out the big guns with the lived-in experiences, the wildly fictional temptations paired with the blinding lights of a creative pursuit.  

From Bremner roaring at the music to be stopped to the instrumental volatility, No Rocket Required has little interest in the straightforward musicology. Spoken word brilliance on opener Some People’s Music feeds into the thrill and electrified punch of The Sign of a Man, a solid lead single which bursts with a chilling energy in the context of a full album. Emotional flutters are what No Rocket Required can pride itself on. Those moments of startling reflection, the freeze-up and sudden realisations, even if it is over some squandered and distant memory, are chilling. Roustabout shines a light on this with some phenomenal work from Shah and The Moonlandingz. A wonderful pairing and the crushing, haunting instrumental effort backing them seals that brilliance. Experimentation is the route through. Not everything works but it is in appreciating those shortcomings, like the underwhelmed but instrumentally challenging The Insects Have Been Shat On, that opens No Rocket Required that much wider.  

Pop-featuring It’s Where I’m From is a statement of intent from The Moonlandingz. A defining moment for the group, and not because of the legend leading the charge. What It’s Where I’m From highlights is the endurance of an instrumental movement, one which can back Pop but also find a sound filled with truth to roll alongside the legendary performer. His deeper vocal work paired with the lighter flourishes from The Moonlandingz is a developing contrast, a welcome change of pace for No Rocket Required. Returning to a band seven years on from the debut and maintaining great form, especially after each member has spread their wings, is no small feat. No Rocket Required is complimented by the interests of each member, the synth pieces, the electrified presence and instrumental flavours of Yama Yama feels like a boundary-pushing new effort from the group. They are keen to blast through a collection of momentous, risk-laden sounds.  

Give Me More provides much of the same. These are the ever-present and daring tones of a band not with a need to prove themselves but a desire to share their instrumental experiences. No Rocket Required has a frenetic and ever-shifting energy. This is all part of The Moonlandingz charm. Once those collaborative features are out of the way, the big name draws and fascinating back-and-forth in the early moments, The Moonlandingz are left to create what, it would seem, they had always wanted for this release. Album closer The Krack Drought Suite (Pts 1-3) is nothing short of outstanding. A comment on the discontent nature of listeners being dragged into the real world with some excellent instrumental adaptations. That is what No Rocket Required is at its best, a roaring and heavy experience which, even in its darkest moments, shines a light on the love of creativity and collaboration.