Reviewed by Aleem Hossain

Meet the crew of Saturn Three: Mission Commander, Keith Hoerig; Science Officer, Reese Roper and Payload Specialist, Dennis Gulp. In 1995, these three astronauts boarded the Saturn Three Spacecraft. Their Mission? To explore Saturn. Finally, in June of 2000, the astronauts became the first crew to orbit the planet. Introducing the brand new genres of astro rock and space pop are three of the members of Denver ska band Five Iron Frenzy and some of their friends. This is an awesome combination of real lyrics, musicianship and programming and is ruthlessly open with dark and emotional lyrics. Many of the songs are uncompromising and speak about struggles and tragedy in this world: lyrics that talk about loss, loneliness and pain and yet demonstrate the peace of God. This is an album about hope in God. "Two-Twenty-Nine", which opens with a sound clip of the Challenger shuttle's countdown and lift off, is a poignant song about the death of Roper's grandmother. The track is haunting and intense. The middle of the album is a platform for two of the finest songs on the album. "Fireworks", in which Gulp takes centre stage vocally, shows how the sparkle and glitter of fireworks fade but there is something deeper; we "can still hear the thunder call". "Under Bridges" places the figure of Jesus in different forms; as a beggar under an overpass and as a patient dying of AIDS. This is a graphic portrait that parallels with Matthew 25, which tells us that doing good to the needy is like doing good to God. Other tracks include a cover of Michael W Smith's "Rocketown" and a track that takes the break up of Roper and his fiancée and turns it into a tribute and a song of hope. There is the almost satirical "Shadow Of Def in which Frank Tate of 5MinuteWalk Records rapping! There is no lyrical masking here. No cryptic phrases, no big words. This is direct and frank. This album is as good as it is because it is uncompromising. Is this the end of this crew's groundbreaking mission? I sincerely hope not, because BSS have so much to offer. This could well be my pick of Y2K. Compare this with the crazy sound of Five Iron and you can see how broad these guys' talents are. Talented and unafraid to express their faith to their listeners.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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