S.P.O.C.K.

"2001: A S.P.O.C.K. Odyssey" (Album, 2001)

Sub Space Communications

Anyone who has read many of my gig or CD reviews will know I do not take kindly to 'humourous' bands. Tongue in cheek or not, most of them are churning out crap, and for me represent nothing but a waste of my valuable time. As long as I can remember I have had this outlook. Okay, pre-briefing over.

I'd read things about Sweden's S.P.O.C.K. I'd seen the photos of them in sliver spacesuits and sunglasses, heard about their gigs at Star Trek conventions, read their lyrics about sci-fi and space travel and knew that one of them professed to be an alien. On paper then, this lot couldn't have done much more to put me off. But their cause has been picked up in the UK recently by the Cryonica label and, amazingly, I find myself saying "Thank you Cryonica!". For, although this indeed displays all the above mentioned traits, S.P.O.C.K. are consummate songwriters whose deftly manage to combine talent with a great sense of humour.

Shock! Horror! I am converted. Beam me up. 7/10

Rob Dyer

Official S.P.O.C.K. website: http://www.spock.se