Why So Blu?

Powerman 5000 – Somewhere On The Other Side Of Nowhere (CD Review)

1999 was a great year, let me count the ways.  Woodstock ’99, Y2K, the end of the world, etc…  Okay, so a lot of it was blown way out of proportion.  What wasn’t blown out of proportion was the arrival or rebirth (if you will) of a particular band by the name of Powerman 5000.  They came in with guitars set on ANNIHILATE and DESTROY.  Led by Spider One, these futuristic sci-fi characters landed on the scene with their second album entitled Tonight the Stars Revolt!  That was all she wrote.  PM5K toured behind that album for more than two years non-stop.  I should know, I saw them 4-5 times during their stint.  They were a force to be reckoned with.

Fast forward it to 2001, on the eve of 9/11, PM5K was to release their sequel to Revolt, but then we all know what happened on that fateful day, and those weeks, and months of chaos afterwards.  Depending who you believe, or what you may have heard, Anyone For Doomsday was pretty much scrapped. The album was finished, but the release date remained uncertain. Some say that the record company did not think it was appropriate to release an album with visions of chaos in title—Doomsday does evoke images of chaos.  Some say that Spider One was an egomaniac and canned the album, because he felt it was a redundant album, therefore, alienating band members and forcing some of their departures, etc.  Whatever happened or didn’t happen, one thing was certain. Powerman 5000’s momentum came to a crashing halt. Zero to sixty right into a wall.  Was this the end of my sci-fi rock n’ roll band?

In 2003, Powerman 5000 regrouped with some new members and put out an album called Transform. Transform rocked.  It rocked hard, was catchy, but was a 180 departure lyrically, and image wise.  The outfits were gone; the songs about robots, spaceships, and far away planets were nowhere to be found.  What was left was an album that for the most part was a social commentary of our society at the time.  Yeah, PM5K pulled a Rage Against the Machine.  I was floored, but floored in a good way.  Transform is a great album.

Fast forward it again to 2006 with their release of Destroy What You Enjoy which to this day I have not listened to, because after watching the video single for “Wild World,” what was once my favorite sci-fi band was reduced to an emo band.  Rest in peace…or so I thought.

2009. Yes, I’m a little late with this review, aren’t I. Somewhere On The Other Side Of Nowhere is released.  Okay.  I notice that the first single is something called “Super Villain,” and makes me want to go to the Youtubes to see if there’s a video for it.  Oh boy, there is!  As soon as the intro finishes up and the music starts pumping, I’m instantly transported back to the late 90’s!  Superheroes, robots, mechanical arms, laser beams, energy blasts, oh my!  Spider One is now backed up by a band of…robots. You have to see it to believe it.  I was sold on the video and went over and purchased the entire album.  The rest of it is history…or is it the present…maybe the future?  I’ll let you decide. 

 

 

Track Listing

1. Intelligent Creatures

2. Show Me What You’ve Got

3. Super Villain

4. V is For Vampire

5. Do Your Thing

6. Somewhere On The Other Side Of Nowhere

7. Time Bomb

8. Get Your Bones

9. Make Us Insane

10. Technology Eats Its Young

11. Horror Show

 

“Super Villian” Music Video

 

 

Conclusion

I can honestly say with great enthusiasm that MY BAND IS BACK!  Whew!  Somewhere On The Other Side Of Nowhere was a trip down memory lane.  I hope that the PM5K fans out there from my day will give the band a chance to show you that they’ve gone back to their sci-fi roots and incorporated some new things into the mix.  The only thing better than listening to this album is getting to see them live.  A plan is being formulated.

Visit the OFFICIAL Home of Powerman 5000 on the World Wide Web http://www.powerman5000.com/.

 

Grab all your Powerman 5000 garb today!