Trying to Fit the World Inside a Picture Frame: N.A.S.A.: The Spirit of Apollo

N.A.S.A. is the radically-cultivated musical alliance of lifelong partners in crime, Sam Speigel (Squeak E. Clean) and Ze Gonzales (DJ Zegon). Similar to the cosmic voyages it shares its name with, The Spirit of Apollo's appeal lies in exploration. Staggering geographical and genre intersections barrage Apollo's 17 fresh tracks, which took over 5.5 years from conceptualization to completion. All of the artists featured on this album personally collaborated with N.A.S.A. to contribute their vocals to these original compositions.

According to the duo, "N.A.S.A. stands for North America/South America, and contains a number of superstar artists from both coasts of the U.S.. It is about as far from a tension-building geographical showdown as a record can get. Rather, The Spirit of Apollo was born with the righteous goal of bringing people together through music and art," and that is exactly what they did.

The late Ol' Dirty Bastard gives his last Wu-Tang shout outs, alongside Karen O and Fatlip on "Strange Enough," Tom Waits bellows with Kool Keith on "Spacious Thoughts," and Kool Kojak and DJ Baboa lay down some Brazilian funk on "O Pata." The strongest tracks here don't necessarily cater to every artist's typical sonic platforms.

The familiar strand that ties these diverse songs together is Apollo's persistent indebtedness to vintage Brazilian soul and funk records. The deep, warm groove on "Samba Soul" (feat. Del Tha Funky Homosapian and DJ Qbert) or "Gifted"'s sparky electro rap (feat. Kanye West, Santogold, and Lykke Li) could blast through speakers at any Sau Paulo party. In fact, N.A.S.A.'s globetrotting eclecticism saw its beginning at DVNO's bustling studio party, where Clean and Zegon met. Even after a self-inflating collaboration of rock-meets-rap disposition ("Intro,""The People Tree,"" and "Money"), their album still avoids many of the awkward associations that come packaged with most cosmic party records.

Funky "Money" and the reggae-toned "The People Tree" established that David Byrne's unconventional alliances with Chali 2na, Z-Trip, Gift of Gab, Chuck D, and Ras Congo can progress beyond mere obsession or originality. Both set the slinky late-night vibe that Barbie Hatch, RZA & John Frusciante tease out for "Way Down." By track 16, "The Mayor," Ghostface Killah, The Cool Kids, Scarface, and DJ AM jolt a set that's too chummy with terrestrial party music. That statement may read criticism, but The Spitit of Apollo manages to be almost as amazing as Clean and DJ Zegon's A-list wrangling abilities.

Along side the creative melodies and ferocious beats, a number of N.A.S.A.'s friends have lent their visual talents, and animated music videos for several of The Spirit of Apollo's tracks. Some of today's most highly-regarded street artists such as Shepard Fairey, Sage Vaughn, Barry McGee, Marcel Dzama and others were profoundly involved in these creations. Hope you enjoy!

N.A.S.A. The Spirit of Apollo Documentary Trailer