RUST
CD Reviews - October 4, 2011
Eric Petersen
Rocket Surgery
RustZine.com

The first thing that strikes you about "Rocket Surgery" is the sense of another time, whether it be a time in your own youthful musical experience or perhaps of the underground 80's radio. There is a sense of newness, coolness and drama with substance and complexity. Lost Patrol has a deep, rich, layered sound with Mollie Israel's vocals enticing you to follow them into their space and lingering in your mind long after listening.

The band has been around for over ten years, but this is their third full length with Mollie Israel on vocals, and her ethereal, visionary personality definitely provides the signature identity of this album. But this is not to discount the talents of Stephen Masucci and Michael Williams in any way. The band has a great synthesis and confidence... they definitely have an idea of who they are and they achieve something quite unique, defining their own new sound from a palette of familiar elements.

The sound quality of "Rocket Surgery" is the fourth member of the band. With great recording and mastering, you really are transported to another space emotionally. It's a combination of a band with a decided identity presented with the right tools. Add to that some great album art and you have something that - again - takes you back in time while it also presents something new. Beneath the overall sound, the arrangements and lyrics again strike a balance between familiarity and uniqueness with original compositions that build on each other resulting in an album that is strong from start to finish.

The most significant thing about the Lost Patrol's Rocket Surgery is it has a uniqueness that reminds you of those few experiences when you first heard something that opened your ears, eyes and mind to a new way of thought and emotion. Familiar but never derivative, it suggests that magical time of youth when your imagination could be set afire, transporting you to another space and time. Exploring vast, strange landscapes, Rocket Surgery combines the best of memory and offers something distinctive and fresh, highly recommended.

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