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Teaser: 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 three themes that seem to otherwise have nothing in common. Hence the album's title.

This latest offfering from Havalina again has the band teaching us a sonic geography lesson. If Russian Lullabies explored the Russian musical landscape and America explored United States, ...Bullfighting brings us to Spain, Mexico and, well, outer space.

The disc starts with the song "Space and Mexico," an upbeat and offbeat number featuring a Monkees-esque organ from David Maust. This nod to the Monkees and their ilk is something we'll hear several times throughout this disc. Thematically, this tune sets the tone for the rest of the record.

Next is "Losing You," a darker, sparse song which reminds the listener of an earlier Havalina disc, Russian Lullabies.

"Lecia" is also sparse and lonely. This is a tune that draws inspiration from the dog who was sent into space by the Russian space program in 1957 and died four days into its flight. "I sure could use another friend about now," Matt Wignal laments. The listener is reminded of the film, "My Life as a Dog," wherein the narrator compares himself to this unfortunate dog left to starve in outer space.

"Pluto" is a trippy tune with unusual instrumentation and vocal effects to give a space-like atmosphere. This song features a fun, 60's-feel chorus: 

"Not quite a planet and not quite steam, Pluto's caught right in between."

The liner notes reference a debate among astronomers over whether Pluto is indeed a planet, or just rocks and gas, and the dissolving of a relationship that has the singer wondering about the substance of said relationship.

If there were a sure single from ...Bullfighting, it would be "You Got Me Crying" which sounds as if it could be an out-take from the America sessions. This memorable tune features an organ complementing Matt Wignall's plaintive voice: "You got me crying over you."

"Rocket Ship," another memorable song from this album, has a definite funky flair. Here, we find Wignall trading vocal lines with Starry Dynamo, aka Mercedes Stevens, in a frenetic fashion.

"If You'd Like..." is the album's homage to 60's heartbreak songs. This tune, like many others on the disc, starts out sparse. Wignall's lonely voice sounds as if he's singing from nowhere. An organ underscores the ache as Wignall croons, "I would like to know if these feelings show. And are you feeling fine? Well, I guess never mind."

The record's centerpiece, "Bullfighter," ties the three themes together as we are told a story of a bullfighter facing a humiliating defeat and crushed pride, as "his wife and children hung their heads. The bullfighter wished he was dead." His loneliness eventually leads the bested matador to his demise. 

In the concluding three songs, we are treated to no less than seven or eight musical genres, including tastes of Latin lounge, country and western, an Irish jig, and Spanish guitar.

Space Love & Bullfighting works best if listened to from start to finish, and preferably multiple times. Like most concept albums, there are carefully placed treasures to explore here in the music and lyrics. Although most of us have not seen a bullfight and very few of us have been to space, Havalina relates the stories contained in this record to us by appealing to our senses of love and loneliness.

Dave Kerschbaum 6/2/2002

Havalina (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 being thrown in the mix.

This album adds another category to the mix.  With the new influences in the band added by the new members Starry Dynamo (guitar, vocals) and David Maust (hurdy-gurdy, organ), there's a more Latin/Mexican tinge to many of the tunes. Violinist Erick Diego takes over the drumkit with the departure of long-time drummer Jeff Suri, leaving only Matt Wignall (guitar, vocals) and Orlando Greenhill (bass) from the original group. Havalina can now safely claim to be one of the few rock bands to boast a hurdy-gurdy player.

Musically, the new influences do not in any way tone down the variable song styles and flavors.  The opening song, "Space and Mexico" has a 60's rock attitude to it, with combined Spanish and English lyrics and a heavier guitar attack than anything Havalina has previously released. The second song, "I Think I'm Losing You" changes tone entirely to a Spanish-tinged little number, as Dynamo and Wignall trade vocals.  Starry Dynamo's vocal work is quite beautiful, and is a welcome counterpoint to Wignall's often forced vocals.  And so on and so forth.  Other standout tracks include "You Got Me Cryin'," the bouncy "Rocketship," the melancholy "Bullfighter" and "Carlos."  The whole album, in typical Havalina style, jumps from genre to genre, yet retains a sense of coherence.  This is perhaps best demonstrated by the final track, the "Space, Love, and Bullfighting Suite". It pushes more boundaries than any single track Havalina has recorded before.  It ranges from folk song to space-rock to recitation to country song to weird modernist composition, all in the space of 6 minutes.

This album not only marks a welcome return to CD for Havalina, but a return to Tooth and Nail, which should ensure that this disc gets the distribution it deserves. In many respects, this is Havalina's best record yet. The overall sound quality is rich and clear.  There is a deeper maturity to the songwriting.  The new band members fit seamlessly into the weirdness that is the Havalina soundscape.

The only caveat about this album is that if you already have the EP A Bullfighter's Guide To Space And Love the songs "Mexico" "Worst Days" and "You Got Me Cryin'" will sound a little odd at first, as there was a certain sound to the demos that the finished product doesn't have.  If anything, the finished tracks are better songs.  They just sound strange at first.

If you have never ventured into Havalinaland, this would be an excellent time to start.  If you, like me, are a long time Havalina listener, then all I need to tell you about this album is we have more of the same, only much different.  And that's what Havalina's about.

Alex Klages 6/10/2002

If 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 the whole "swing revival" that was taking place at the same time), they struck out on their own label, Jackson-Rubio. There, they released several more incredible, but relatively unknown albums (including the incredible Russian Lullabyes). 

In the meantime, Tooth & Nail just seemed to be mired in the dregs of pop-punk, releasing one band of spiky-haired youngsters after another. Havalina just seemed to toil away in obscurity, playing to capacity crowds at festivals like Cornerstone, but never receiving the sort of press they should have. But still, they pushed on with a perseverance that most punk bands could learn a thing or two from. Well, one hopes that the stars are finally aligning in Havalina's favor, having now resigned to Tooth & Nail to release their latest full-length, Space, Love & Bullfighting. 

It's a concept album in the loosest sense of the word, dealing with, well, space, love, and bullfighting. How the band weaves those 3 concepts together into one album... well, that's debatable. What isn't, however, is the quality (and quirkiness) of Havalina's latest batch of songs. When you listen to one of their albums for the first time, you're never quite sure of what to expect. And that's just as true for Space, Love & Bullfighting.  Although not as wildly diverse as America (a fascinating, but confused and confusing melange of styles), Space, Love & Bullfighting offers up enough musical variety to keep you on your toes. 

Whether it's an ode to our solar system's smallest member ("Pluto"), a Spanish-tinged ballad ("Losing You"), or a trip straight to the cabana ("Carlos," which, complete with Mercedes Stevens' sultry vocals, may just be one of the best songs Havalina has ever done), it's a wild ride. Bandleader Matt Wignall (whose photography graces many a Tooth & Nail sleeve) knows how to write 'em. His guitarwork is as effortless here as ever, and his lethargic vocals provide a casual contrast to some of the wild sounds you hear. 

As with all Havalina albums, there are some uneven moments, as the album juggles styles and moods. The garage rock-fuelled "I Feel Nothing" and peppy "Rocketship" (with vocal interplay between Wignall and Stevens) suddenly switch to the honky-tonk flavor of "Worst Days" (again, one of Havalina's best songs) and the aforementioned "Carlos" (I can't get enough of that song). Plus, there's plenty of experimentation; just check out the opening of "Spaces And Places," before something resembling a song begins taking shape. And the album ends with the "Space, Love and Bullfighting Suite," which consists of each of the 5 bandmembers getting to do their own thing, with (surprise) interesting and mixed results. 

For the average Tooth & Nail fan, this release will probably still fly under the radar. There isn't an ounce of angst or punk sneer to be found... but still, it's a welcome relief to find that a band this talented and unique may finally be getting the support they so richly deserve. Hopefully, these won't prove to be the "Worst Days" for Havalina; hopefully, the best are still yet to come. 

Jason Morehead 8/4/2002