Space Owl’s heart and soul are Ari Joshua, the frontman on guitar and joined by John Ewing (drums), Bob Lovelace (bass), and David Appelbaum (keyboards). 

Ari has already given the world more than 50 songs across the last few years…and “Flask” could be an excellent entry point to Space Owl’s extensive musical catalog.

Space Owl’s “Flask” is filled with many excellent melodies, phrases, and beats…it’s soul shares the same greatness of Frank Zappa’s, it’s a time signatures-galore that takes you from one musical moment to the next while giving you instant mood changes…the spirit of the 80s rock lives strong within the musicality of “Flask” and that of Space Owl of course.

“Flask” has an instantly iconic presence and musical charisma…it starts on a pretty powerful note, and then takes us through many phases and mood changes…from the epic sounds of the guitar to the minimal and tasteful moments of the piano singing alone…even if for a few seconds, but this is an example of the musical pivots that Space Owl does masterfully to guide the audience through his perfectly crafted adventure. 

“Flask” is pure musical bliss that only lasts for 6 minutes and 33 seconds, full of twists and turns…from the rock of the 80s, to the timeless reggae beats, to ballad…and many more catchy melodies with changing time signatures…” Flask” is a must-hear experience. 

We wish an excellent new year to Space Owl and we can’t wait until the next musical epic they release. 

Cheers!

Seattle based Space Owl is a supergroup which revels in accessible, yet unusual, textures and compositions. Formed of experimental jazz and funk guitarist Ari Joshua, Drummer John Ewing, and keyboardist David Applebaum, the group’s sound is a healthy mix of wonky compositions, eccentric guitar solos, and endless, unsettled grooves from Ewing, and ‘Mountain Song’ is no exception. 

Populated by the psychedelia-filled guitar layers from Joshua, the song is about an unforgettable expedition the group of friends made to the top of a treacherous mountain. Written directly after that expedition, the piece’s generous runtime reflects the entire day, from its psychedelic sunrise to the unfurling adventures that followed. 

The piece’s multiple key changes, whimsical timbres, and difficult-to-interpret rhythmic acrobatics make ‘Mountain Song’ a very engaging piece of music, and being almost entirely devoid of singing, the attention naturally goes to the tasteful performances the band deliver across the board.

‘Mountain Song’ is festive and entertaining, while being musically enthralling and memorable. The production is snappy and crisp, in particular on the lush drumming part, fantastically performed by Ewing. The guitar arrangement is rich and layered, and the group vocals are humorous. For those into this type of music, ‘Mountain Song’ will be an immediate banger.