The Most Powerful Telescope In The Universe Press

"The Moonlight's Fair Tonight" (2009)

"Notable as much for the circumstances of it's recording and distribution as much as the beauty of the music, TMPTITU is truly a unique musical project. Once a year, diverse musicians come together like migratory creatures, turn a woodland cabin into a makeshift recording studio, fill it with instruments, and spend the weekend writing and recording from scratch. Available only as a 12” vinyl or FREE MP3 download at datawaslost.net, these psychedelic albums are destined to be collector’s treasures." - RUST Magazine

"Once a year, five members of four different bands, namely MW Ensemble, Swissfarlo, Coltrane Motion and With Raccoon Hands, get together in a secluded cabin to write and record songs over a long weekend. To me, this concept is genius and, quite frankly, the music is not too far off from there. These are spacey, psychedelic pop, with delay and fuzz galore and, while early Pink Floyd is an obvious influence, I also hear the dreamy waves of The Feelies, and maybe even some Dinosaur Jr. The instrumental, “Bloodmilk,” almost sounds like something Amon Duul II would have done. None of it’s derivative, however. Perhaps the speed of writing and recording the material, over three or four days without looking back, keeps things more pure. Methinks so." - The Big Takeover Magazine

"Recording projects done in isolated cabins out in the wilderness conjure up all the wrong images of what The Moonlights Fair Tonight actually sounds like (in fact, so does it's title). Far from Mt. Eerie, far from Bon Iver, The Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe plays atmospheric rock, somewhere between shoegaze and post-rock. Interesting though, is the group does incorporate some of the warmth of the aforementioned artists into their own blend of genres not known for that sort emotion. Oh, and did I mention you can download this whole album fro free on either Ionik's or Data Was Lost's websites? Not much of an excuse left to sleep on this one any longer, is there?" - Ghettoblaster Magazine

"We seem to get really lucky with the albums we are sent to review, this one from The Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe is a very nice surprise. It is a melting pot of modern influences – post-punk, space rock, 90’s indie, and post-rock, to name a few. That probably doesn’t sound like the best mix, but it will make perfect sense once you hear it. The deal gets even sweeter in the details, as this is a great sounding LP packaged in a screenprinted jacket for only $10. If you don’t feel like taking the plunge yet, they’ll also let you download the entire album first for free. These folks are doing it right." - OMG Vinyl

"In the simplest terms, it's rare to find an album this gorgeous. And even rarer to find one so warm, so positively glowing in the moment. A group of friends, as much as a band, The Most Powerful Telescope In The Universe recorded their full length album The Moonlight's Fair Tonight by assembling a group of musicians and shuttling them off for two weekend-long stints, secluded woodland cabin somewhere in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. Nothing was written in advance. Nothing prepared. Just the musicians and the desire to create an album on the spot. Obviously, the environment was conducive to feed the muse of these cats, because what they created is a breath-taking journey through Of Montreal's indie-pop sensibilities and Explosions in the Sky sonic experiments.
Guitars weave and curl, swirling through the mix like smoke coming from that cabin's fireplace. Keyboards layer in, hiding underneath, floating to the top, twisting through the air like dust floating in a beam of moonlight. Songs float and levitate across the vinyl, barely being contained by the pull of gravity's force. "Last of the Incas," the lead-off song fills the air with all that these guys represent; loads of swirling, reverb soaked psychedelic guitar that builds in subtle beauty until it takes flight. Joy Division-esque bass adds a weighiness to the proceedings, keeping the song from become fey or too disconnected. Keyboards float by like cosmic dust while the vocals jump on the tail of a passing comet, adding a gentle whispering beauty. "Cops Chasing Undercover Cops," follows without bothering to touch back down on terra firma. So gorgeously constructed, so lushly soaked in the sweetness of some floating constellation.
Don't let the thought of "space rock" or "psychedelia" put you off. This isn't head lost it's own ass music that wanders endlessly searching for a melody. It's a testament to the strength of the musiciansthat each song hangs together firmly within it's own melodic structure, but loose enough to expand throughout the solar system. Simply put, this album is scrumptious. One listen is all it takes. One listen to know that you also want to join that flight, leave the earth behind and reach out into the cosmos. Or at the very least, join the musicians next time they take to that remote cabin. Ah, what I wouldn't give to be there and watch it all happen." - The Ripple Effect Reviews

"When Ionik and Datawaslost combine for a release, you can expect a good dose of electro-pop and indie rock. A great concept- taking members from bands in both camps - Swissfarlo, Coltrane Motion, MW Ensemble - and throwing them together in a remote cabin once per year pound out an album. "Last of the Incas" recalls the Stone Roses while "Reach for the Stars" is the closest they come to getting the inevitable New Order comparisons. On the less synthy tracks, you also have what could be a Pavement instrumental outtake and also traces of a Built to Spill influence." - 75orLess

"It's a nice concept. Assemble a group of musicians and shuttle them off for the weekend to a secluded woodland cabin somewhere in the woods of the Pacific Northwest to create an album on the spot. The Most Powerful Telescope In The Universe recorded their full length album The Moonlight's Fair Tonight in November 2007 and November 2008. The The Moonlight's Fair Tonight is a lo-fi drones driven psychedelic record that sounds great on vinyl, with warm keyboard washes lounging on top of the drums that were recorded with the natural echo of the cabin as a not-so secret ingredient. Melancholy rules in the lyrics for songs like Window Wine and it's boozing sister track Anything for A Drink, but the best is saved for last when the band slows down for Low-lying Clouds." - Here comes the flood

"The Moonlight’s Fair Tonight is just a beautiful record. The Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe blend the atmospheric feel of Death From Above with the indie-pop of Of Montreal. The album ebbs and flows brilliantly from track to track and everything is just done perfectly. The vocals, although a bit of an acquired taste, work for each track. The tempos are simultaneously upbeat and calming. The instruments and song construction are intricate and deeply layered. Opening track “The Last of the Incas” is simply a genius song of delicate construction and sets the tone for the whole album. The Moonlight’s Fair Tonight adds to the recent trend of records from the Pacific Northwest hinging more and more on solid fundamental construction instead of the bells and whistles the rest of the musicworld seems intent on placing on records. This is just a simply stunning album." - Verbicide Reviews "Free music for your head. The music collective with a name to give music bloggers nightmares. I have zipped through the album countless times and having experienced the faultless aroma of their melodramatic guitar based music from all directions, we`ve applied maximum download linkage for `The Most Powerful Telescope In The World`. - Mojophenia

"This album only crossed my path due to my near-debilitating addiction to reddit.com. Whilst abrowse in the music subreddit, I stumbled across a post entitled “Every year some friends and I turn a woodland cabin into a makeshift recording studio, fill it with instruments, and spend the weekend writing and recording a record from scratch. Here’s our latest attempt, in vinyl and (free) mp3 form“. So, sucker that I am, I downloaded it. The opener, “Last of the Incas”, floats in a lo-fi haze of guitars muddled by reverb, distortion and tremolo, rolling forward and grabbing other instruments as it goes. Simple, light drums, bass, and keys. Once the vocals hit, it’s clear we have no Grammy nominees in attendance, but talent means less than emotion and though anymore anyway (doesn’t it? For my musical endeavors, I certainly hope so…). A group of breathy, droning singers joins the mix, adding to the shoegaze vibe. Past “Incas”, however, the album suffers from the tempo-sliding, detuning and overall “looseness” to which a no-rehearsals- seat-of-the-pants recording is so prone. “Island” features a pleasant vibraphone backdrop and simple organ line which make for a good, albeit short song. I love the first track, and if the remaining tracks were tighter (drums and even other instruments tended to drift) they could be stellar. This setup produces something of an ultimate first draft: first-run songwriting, rough production, and a little bit of messiness throughout. My favorite part of the write-it-record-it-now method is the sheer passion and energy in music like that. Although it sort of contradicts my last point, with some rehearsals, tweaks, and shinier production, this album holds a lot of potential to grow on shoegaze and indie fans. Definitely give the first track a thorough listen, and if so inclined grab the whole thing, it at the very least makes suitable study music." - froshmusic

"EP" (2007)

"There's quite a bit of stuff going on here, from Tortoise's mood making to lo-fi slacker cabaret to a toned down Ride. The full download link is in their most recent Myspace blog and comes with our seal of approval, whatever that proves." - Sweeping the Nation

"Whoever said that nothing in life is free had never stumbled upon The Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe, which is hardly suprising since Google brings up very little information either. They may be the Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe but they are as obscure as an Iranian film without subtitles. The little I have been able to glean from extensive googling is that the band consist of five friends from various and equally obscure bands including Coltrane Motion (featured on that friend of the obscure The Devil's blog in May last year Coltrane Motion) , Apartment of Nepal Apartment or Nepal, With Raccoon Hands and Go To Hell who assemble at a remote wilderness cabin write and record an EP from scratch. Once completed they return from whence they came and release the results of their endeavours to the online world for free, gratis, cuffo. It's free and recorded in a couple of days so it's rubbish right? Well actually no it's not rubbish it's a laid back, mellow, free form jazz inflected, mix of Slint, Shellac , shellac Tortoise and early 70s Pink Floyd. Simply majestic yet majestically simple." - The Devil Has the Best Tuna

"Unknown music from unknown bands. That's what this indieblog is about. Sometimes the bands are really unknown. This means that you can't find a lot of information, even with the all mighty Google. What do I know about The Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe? The band comes from somewhere in the United States and the band members are Michael Bond, Andrew Hagood, Timothy Heyl, Andrew Kroner and Michael Winters. These musicians are also active in Coltrane Motion, Apartment or Nepal, With Raccoon Hands and Go to Hell. The call themselves the least-hardest-working band in show business. Once a year they retreate to a remote cabin in Hocking Hills, Ohio and they record several songs. The first time they did this was November 2006 and these songs were released on an EP last Christmas on the label Datawaslost. In November 2007 the members of The Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe went back to the cabin and the result will be released next summer. You can download the complete first EP through this link and according to the rules of Creative Commons. You can also start by listening to the two tracks below. The rock music you'll hear is a mix between punk, Pink Floyd (before "Meddle") and Slint." - heetstof