Havalina's first two albums weren't typical Tooth and Nail back when they were Havalina Rail Co. Despite shortening their name and being away from Tooth and Nail for a while, their musical variety remains one of a kind.
"Space, Love & Bullfighting" is a concept album with all the songs generally being about those three topics. Although it could be argued that space and bullfighting are simply metaphors for love.
As for the songs, they're very diverse. Musically the album ranges from Latin jazz to oldies to more aggressive power pop along with some experimental moments. At first all the different styles seemed out of place, but since the songs are well written with catchy hooks, the sonic hodgepodge works for the most part.
"Space, Love & Bullfighting" begins with "Space and Mexico," a power pop sound featuring a Moog organ. Then after a Latin jazz track and a swing song, track four "Pluto" features a Cat Stevens-like chorus, which is followed by a song called out "I Feel Nothing" that rocks out like The Strokes. Track six "You Got Me Cry'n" has moments similar to The Beatles with the Moog organ and the 60's drum fills. Next comes "Rocket Ship," which is an incredibly obnoxious track and the song after isn't much better. Track nine "If You'd Like..." is an ode to oldies love songs with its radio friendly chorus. The next song, "Bullfighter," is a serious acoustic track with a Spanish feel to it, which continues into "Carlos," a pleasant Latin jazz piece that is sung in Spanish by the band's only female member Mercedes Stevens. Finally, the last two tracks end the record on somewhat of a sour note, as they may be too experimental to belong on the album.
Well, if there's one thing to note about "Space, Love & Bullfighting," it's that it will most likely not be a favorite among teenage listeners. However, twenty to thirty year olds who enjoy mid-20th century pop music will dig it because there is an eclectic set of mostly likeable songs. Yet for Havalina, there remains room for improvement, such as Matt Wignall's vocals.
B
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Dave KerschbaumTeaser: Havalina takes us on yet another field trip: outer space, via Spain and Mexico. Havalina Rail Company have always been quite good at mixing different musical genres effectively -- often genres that seem to otherwise have nothing to do with each other. On Space Love & Bullfighting, Havalina (they have opted for the shortened name) have not stopped at musical genres, but have woven together…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Alex KlagesHavalina (or Havalina Rail Co.) has a music output that has been consistently inconsistent over their recorded history. This is precisely the quality which has given them a dedicated underground following. Listening to Havalina's first four studio albums is akin to listening to a cross-section of American popular music of the last century, with everything from jazz to blues to folk to hip-hop…Opus 2002Reviewed by Jason MoreheadIf there's any band out there that deserves a break, it's Havalina (formerly Havalina Rail Co.). It's always a shame when a great bunch of musicians undergoes label travails, touring disasters, and seemingly more lineup changes than The Cure, but in Havalina's case, it's just ridiculous. After releasing a couple of albums on Tooth & Nail (which, for some inexplicable reason, got lumped in with…Similar sounding releases
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