Even a single listen to Go to Space Die’s Red Air Don’t Care makes it clear where songwriter Dagan Thogerson’s artistic loyalties lie. The longtime drummer for indie stalwarts Murder by Death unleashes eight songs under the banner Go to Space Die immersed in technically superb and muscular progressive rock burning with seldom heard passion. Such music often sounds cerebral, first and foremost, and while intelligence isn’t in short supply, Thogerson’s playing on each of the album’s instruments bristles with a sense of near desperation. His ambitions for the songs aren’t small.
He confines them to a manageable length, however. One weakness in the release we will clear out of the way early on in this review is the tempos – too many of the songs embrace the same mid-tempo pace. Thogerson comes across as almost cognizant of this potential criticism because he mixes things often and the shifting focus of musical ideas helps mitigate any sense of sameness. “Threes Away” illustrates this well. The riffs driving much of the album aren’t the sort of empty0headed fare you find on cookie cutter metal or rock releases.
Instead, they are part of a larger compositional approach. Go to Space Die’s music rarely rests in one particular pattern for long. “Threes Away” does an excellent job of establishing contrasting dynamics and giving listeners a full-on experience within a limited amount of time. The second track “Air and Land” aims a little higher, perhaps given its song title, but the mix of riffs and melodic excursions heard in the first song are even more pronounced here. “Spring Ahead”, however, takes the promise of the second song to its logical conclusion and has magisterial airiness unlike anything else on Red Air Don’t Care. It exudes authority from beginning to end and Thogerson’s confidence as a songwriter is audible.
His musical confidence is considerable, as well. Echoes of Pink Floyd, Dream Theatre, and several other acts are detectable throughout “Queen D” but Thogerson punctuates their influence with signature blues. It’s a neat bit of sleight of hand and demands a little chutzpah to pull it off. “Way Up” returns us to familiar ground. It’s another cavalcade of light and shadow with Thogerson effortlessly moving the track from gracefully melodic passages into much stormier forays.
“Rollaway” is closer to straight-forward rock than anything else on the album, in my opinion, but nevertheless doesn’t veer far away from the core sound he’s reaching for. It’s a satisfying listening experience despite its relatively brief duration. “Jumpinthelake”, however, is the album’s longest track by far. It’s never wearisome, however, as it provides Thogerson with his largest canvas yet for exploring his consistently fine musical ideas. He made his “name” as a drummer, but Thogerson’s guitar playing throughout the album and during this closer in particular is notable for its fluency. It’s an excellent way to end one of the best instrumental albums I’ve heard in recent years. Dagan Thogerson has hit upon an intriguing side project he can revisit, and I suspect he will – this is an uniquely successful effort on nearly every front.
Chadwick Easton