Search - Space :: Tin Planet

Even better than Spiders

01/16/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tis a shame this album hasn't been released in the States because it's even better than 'Spiders'. Where 'Spiders' had some excellent and memorable tracks ("Female of the Species", "Neighbourhood", "Dark Clouds", "Money"), it was hampered by several marginal songs. 'Tin Planet' is solid throughout and it demonstrates that Tommy Scott and Co. have really honed their craft of writing quirky, darkly humorous pop. Though Scott's lyrics get a bit cute (a la l'il-'ol-me) and droll -- as on 'Spiders', they're still refreshing and worth a chuckle in lieu of all the post-grunge posturing and dumbing-down. The brilliant lounge swagger of "Female of the Species" is still to be found on such tracks as "The Unluckiest Man in the World" and "There's No You". Sense of humor is never lacking as in "The Ballad of Tom Jones" -- a charmingly morbid duet (with Cerys Matthews of Welsh up-and-comers Catatonia). And when all is said and done, Space still manage a handful of dance-floor thumpers as well.About as perfect a 90's pop album as you're going to find. Don't miss it!"

Zowee!

John | 01/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Space's first album, Spiders, was very inconsistent indeed: a few great songs, a lot of mediocre songs. After hearing it, the idea of getting the follow-up (at less-than-appealing import prices) wasn't altogether appealing. However, I eventually went ahead and bit the bullet, and I'm pleased to report that Tin Planet is a *much* better album than Spiders. The songs are consistently appealing, and the main theme of the band's first album ("We're psychotic!") still shows up in a few numbers (Be There, Piggies), here Scott pens some genuinely emotional lyrics; also, it seems to me that his voice, while still distinctive, is a bit more refined here (maybe temporarily losing it was beneficial in the long run, eh?). The only weak spot here is Griffiths's more-or-less pointless techno number Fran in Japan; other than that, no real complaints. Well worth importing."

The injustice of American anonymity

John | Jefferson City, MO USA | 03/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If anyone out there listened to Space's first album "Spiders", perhaps spurred on by the appearence of the track "Female of the Species" on the AUSTIN POWERS soundtrack, you'd already know this is a band to watch. Sadly, a good deal of such "bands to watch" out there disappear only to return some forlorn day, well past their own experation date, to produce something stale. Elastica comes to mind along with (now, don't kill me, but) Portishead. Radiohead would stand at the opposite end of this spectrum, a band that can't help but be brilliant. Put Space just to the left of them. These albums are not redefining popular music, albeit primarily because they aren't "popular." That is a loss to us all, especially those who still have faith in "pop" music. For the rest of us who have given up, awash in boy bands and teeny bopper chicks, Tin Machine could make us all believers again. Their hooks are undeniable and their lyrics reflect a clever poetry that can only make us cringe when we hear the American trite peddled by major labels. From the very get go, with "Begin Again," Space cranks up the volume and doesn't let up, all the way through the super charged final techno track. It's as if they found the famed 11 on the dial while the rest have settled on 8 (Spinal Tap joke). Outside of an outright aversion to all things British, I can't imagine any pop-music fan NOT putting Tin Machine in their regular rotation after hearing it through. It's worth the cost of importing, by far."