TF01 3,S.P.O.C.K CD Reviews 4,by Simon Plumbe S.P.O.C.K ----------- CD Reviews Special by Simon Plumbe ------------------------------------ No, this isn't a one-off devoted to Leonard Nimoy's latest recording (I hope we don't hear anything more from him - "Mr Spock's Music From Outer Space" was bad enough!). Instead, these are a couple of newly released CDs from the Swedish electronic group S.P.O.C.K - a group whose releases owe more than a passing mention to Star Trek, other than in the groups name! "Five Year Mission" ------------------- For those of you not really familiar with electronic pop, the best way to describe the genre is that of early Depeche Mode, Human League, Gary Numan etc. Still none the wiser? Well, it's a very artificially sounding music, that tens to be made up of larger quantities of shorter notes rather than long sweeping sounds. Well, S.P.O.C.K, hailing from Sweden, specialise in electronic pop, and more importantly electronic pop songs written about Star Trek, and their first album, "Five Year Mission" was released in Sweden last year and has just hit the UK. The group consists of two members, Android and Eddie B Kirk (there used to be a third member, but more on this in the interview with the band elsewhere on this issue). There are 10 tracks in total with a running time of just under 44 minutes. The first track is "Neutral Zone". Not based on the TNG episode of the same name but a song about a mission of the Enterprise responding to a distress call sent from from Neutral Zone and they go to investigate... This is a fairly slow-paced song, but the vocals, bass and drums hold together rather well to produce a good sounding song, although not one you'd be whistling for hours afterwards! Next is the track released as a single last year, "Never Trust A Klingon". The title pretty much sums the song up and is a faster, up- beat song with a really good, toe-tapping bassline. It's all enhance with a couple of short samples of William Shatner making Kirk's comments on Klingons from Star Trek III. Next is the strangely titled "Mr Spock's Brain", a follow-up story to the third season episode "Spock's Brain". A very strange song with the music sounding as if it could come from any early Gary Numan album. There has been a rather nice semi-mechanical effect added to Android's voice which fits the mood of the song quite well. If you don't pay too much attention to the actual lyrics on this track, or if you treat the lyrics in a light hearted manner, you'll enjoy this laidback song. Onto the next track which is "Charlie X", the group's way of paying homage to the season one episode. A somewhat flat song, this time. Whilst it tries to be a more light hearted song from the musical point of view, the lyrics are more serious and the song doesn't quite seem to fit in with the overall sombre tone of the vocals. There are also times where the music doesn't seem to have a presence on the track. The fifth track is "E-Lectric" and this is the first song on the CD to have nothing to do with Trek. This is a typical electronic song, and it's a fairly good example of the genre, using a healthy plethora of vocal and instrumental effects. The sixth track, called "Black Hole", bearing more than a passing resemblance to Kraftwerk's "The Model" as far as the bassline is concerned, returns to the Star Trek universe telling the tale of the Enterprise as it is struggling to avoid being sucked into a black hole, and towards certain doom... Again, the mood of the song managed to convey the despair and loneliness associated with the emptiness of space and black holes. Another good track, and I'm beginning to wonder if this group can really do anything that is awful - I think not! Track 7, once again straying from the Trek mythos, is "Space Race". A much lighter, faster song which is about, obviously, a race between different ships from planets everywhere (a far better attempt at this idea than the novel "The Great Starship Race"!). This song is another good track and will appear most to the Depeche Mode fans out there as that is where most of the musical similarities lie. Following that is "Time Machine", fortunately a song with NO Doctor Who connections whatsoever! Instead it's the story of a time traveller who is trapped in a time machine that is out of his control. The song opens with a introduction that is one you wouldn't expect from an electronic song. A long, sweeping, deep bassline that flows throughout the entire song, coupled with effective vocals, that manage to convey the traveller's desperation as his supplies are gradually depleted. Another good track. The penultimate song once again is a Trek based song called "Edge Of Forever". A superb song, possibly one of the best on the CD, with a full and rich musical score accompanying some strong vocals. Finally is the track "Last Man On Earth". A dark and moody song telling the story of the sole human survivor left after the Earth has suffered mass nuclear destruction and the impending takeover of the planet by robots. Shades of Terminator in the storyline, but this doesn't stop it from being a very atmospheric track with some good lyrics accompanied by some suitably depressing sound effects. Okay, I have to be honest, when I first heard this CD I wasn't too keen on it, but after a couple of repeated plays it's really starting to grow on me! The lyrics aren't the greatest in the world and at times are a little silly. For example, from "Mr Spock's Brain" there is a line, "Where is my brain, oh what a pain, I'm going insane!"! However, this doesn't detract from the overall sound of the music and the lyrics do fit the songs well and with saying that, Queen were regarded as being one of the best rock bands ever and their lyrics were, at times, pretty awful if put under any scrutiny. Overall, a good CD and I'm quite looking forward to hearing any more from this band. The electronic genre has been in a bit of a decline for the last few years, but if there's any sort of major revival other than the underground popularity that electronic pop still has, then I'm sure S.P.O.C.K will be there at the front of it all. "Never Trust A Klingon" ----------------------- This CD is a remixed edition (the 2294 AD Mix) of their 1993 single, "Never Trust A Klingon" and features three tracks in total - "Never Trust A Klingon" (A Version), "Last Man ON Earth" (SMPJ Version) and finally "Never Trust A Klingon" (Captain's Log version). Starting off with the A Version of "Never Trust...", this is a slightly shorter version of the song featured on the album, enhanced with a much meatier bass line than the original and a stronger drum track. Also the vocals seem to be much clearer and the vocalist, Android, seems to have improved quite a lot since the song was was originally recorded. A rarity - a remix that improves on the original and a good start to the CD. A great up-beat song. Next is the re-mix of another track from "Five Year Mission", this time "Last Man On Earth". Again, a significantly shorter version than the original. "Last Man..." starts out with a much darker theme than the previous track, fitting the lyrics perfectly, telling the story of, as you can guess, the last human left on Earth after a nuclear holocaust. A slower track than "Never Trust...", but still a good song, and the additional of the enhanced drum track add even more emotional power to the theme of the lyrics. Finally, the Captain's Log mix of "Never Trust A Klingon". This is an epic 6 minute version of the track. Where the first mix concentrated the emphasis on the drum track, this mix has a wonderfully enhanced bass and lead tracks which give the song a more rounded feel. Again, good stuff. As with the album, the vocals take a little getting used to because of Android's accent, and the lyrics themselves are a little tacky (although they do fit well to the music), but overall this is a pretty good CD single and I'd recommend it to any fans of electronic music. A little expensive for just three tracks, but then again, aren't ALL CD singles?! Both CDs can be purchased from most good record shops or direct from the UK distributors at the specially reduced prices of £10.50 (plus 50p P&P) for "Five Year Mission" and £3.30 (plus 50p P&P) for "Never Trust A Klingon". For further details or to order, send a cheque/PO to: COLD SPRING DISTRIBUTION 87 Gloucester Avenue Delapre Northampton NN4 9PT ENGLAND