Solid Space
Space Museum

Are you familiar with the synth pop of bands like the early New Order and Depeche Mode? Are you aware of the melancholic sound characteristic of certain new wave? Do you know the minimal and aseptic imagery typical of the post-punk period? Yes? Great! If you understand what I'm talking about, you won't find excessive difficulty in comprehending the musical proposition of Solid Space.

Solid Space was an obscure band belonging to the now-forgotten "minimal wave" circuit (among its main exponents, besides our own, I would like to mention the Americans Iron Curtain), a British band that authored this "Space Museum" and literally disappeared from the scene a year after its release.

We know little to nothing about the subsequent projects (musical or otherwise) of the band members, and almost no information about the group is traceable online. Moreover, keep in mind that "Space Museum" was not released as an LP but only on tape! A tape, therefore, destined only for "industry insiders" and a very few others! It is certainly not a platter easily found, this is true, yet it is possible to retrieve the compositions of the enigmatic British guys through some download program, just as I did.

"Space Museum" is nothing but a fresh and genuine manifesto of that new wave oriented towards the most crepuscular synth derivations, a poor and simple new wave but rich in syncopated beats and robotic rhythms.

"Afghan Dance" seems like a hallucinated dance for Mujahedin coming from the future, "A Darkness In My Soul" is perhaps the most fascinating track of the batch and is characterized by a haunting chorus, "10th Planet" could easily aspire to become the soundtrack of a black and white episode of "Space: 1999", while the splendid "Destination Moon" expresses a veiled sadness, sadness capable of burying the much sonic molasses produced in those years by the luckier champions of the new wave. The only song below par is the not very convincing "Radio France", but considering the high level of the already analyzed tracks and those I haven't mentioned, we can easily overlook one flaw!

Will they reform? Will they release a new record? Will they perform live? I really don't think so, and maybe that's a good thing! Legends, as I have already had the chance to write in other reviews, are better off remaining as such!