S.O.C. 7

Mission: Critical

Self-released (1999)

review by Bill Binkelman

Mission: Critical from S.O.C. 7 is a concept album that, musically, encompasses a variety of genres, from progressive electronic music to space music to heavy-duty progressive rock to cinematic symphonic soundtrack-style EM. The concept element comes from the liner notes which detail the story of the rogue starship S.O.C. 7 and its encounters both wonderful and terrible. By now, true space music afficianados may connect the dots and think, "Hey, that sounds like Amin Bhatia's Interstellar Suite!" And in some ways, they'd be right. Without a doubt there are parallels in execution. However, where Amin integrated sound effects and dialogue into his landmark album, S.O.C. 7 (a.k.a. Chuck Pedersen) relies solely on the music to carry the listener away. And, in many ways, he succeeds vividly.

The music itself on the album is excellent across all the genres. Chuck blends his various keyboards well. The progressive EM elements, in particular, stand out as my favorites; for example, the opening "Dance of the Planets" sounds like the opening title sequence to a science fiction movie. This song is followed by "Mission: Critical &endash; Part 1" with bubbling sequencers, swirling synths, and mysterious synth horns. As the songs veer from soaring to quiet to foreboding, Chuck maintains a high degree of quality in composition and production.

A lot of the music on Mission: Critical has rhythmic elements, and Chuck also handles this aspect proficiently, eliciting drama or excitement whenever called for. The progressive rock textures (full-on rhythm section work, ELP-style keyboards, and the like) and the more orchestral pieces may serve to pull some listeners out of the more spacy side of the story. However, I think both of these elements fit in well, both from a variety standpoint and from the story concept as well. If Mission: Critical was too monochromatic, it'd get old fairly quick.

There are fifteen songs on the album, with titles like "The Journey Home," "Wonders of Space" and "Portal of Dreams." Chuck is, more or less, recording a "movie without visuals or words." From my vantage point, he's succeeded. Mission: Critical, especially when listened to through headphones, is a well-executed trip through the cosmos.