Suburban Rock 'n' Roll is the fourth studio album by Space. Released in 2004, it was the band's first official album in six years. It came off the back of the abandoned Love You More than Football sessions, which resulted in the band breaking ties with Gut Records as well as founding guitarist Jamie Murphy.
Now reduced to a quartet, and with frontman Tommy Scott handling most of the songwriting, the band started afresh with a Darker and Edgier set of songs which harked back to the experimentation of their debut Spiders, even bringing that album's producer Stephen Lironi along to co-write and record it.
Unfortunately, changes in the musical landscape and the lengthy break between albums ensured Suburban Rock 'n' Roll was not a huge success, and the band split shortly afterwards, but has in recent years gone down as something of an underrated classic, with several fans and the bandmembers themselves regarding it as their favourite Space album.
Tracklist
- "Suburban Rock 'n' Roll"
- "Zombies"
- "Hitch-Hiking"
- "Punk Rock Funeral"
- "Hell's Barbecue"
- "Paranoid 6teen"
- "The English Language"
- "Pretty Suicide"
- "20 Million Miles from Earth"
- "Quiet Beach"
- "The Goodbye Song"
20 million tropes from Earth:
- An Immigrant's Tale: The lyrics to "The English Language" are implied to be about this.
- Break Up Song: "Pretty Suicide" and "The Goodbye Song".
- Cerebus Syndrome: The lyrical content on Suburban Rock 'n' Roll is deliberately more introspective and serious than previous Space releases, as the band were hoping to distance themselves from the 'novelty' label they had been attached with.
- Concept Album: Several of the songs depict a Crapsack World full to the brim with crime, survelliance, death, and the erosion of freedom in modern society. It's almost a Merseyside take on OK Computer!
- Darker and Edgier / New Sound Album: This album is definitely this after the Lighter and Softer direction taken on Tin Planet and Love You More than Football, favouring a brooding, sample-heavy Alternative Rock sound.
- Driven to Suicide: The protagonists of "Pretty Suicide" and "Quiet Beach", though on "The Goodbye Song" Tommy states he "not the suicidial type".
- In the Style of: "Pretty Suicide" is a tribute to the New York synth-punk duo Suicide, whose debut album was listened to on repeat by the band during recording sessions.
- Looped Lyrics: Much of "Hitch-Hiking" consists of the lines "Oh violence, please leave me alone" and "run, run, run".
- Lyrical Cold Open: Occurs on "Punk Rock Funeral".
- Pep-Talk Song: "Paranoid 6teen" was written by Tommy as one for his adopted daughter Sophie.
- Suicide by Sea: "Quiet Beach" is about a couple who drown themselves.
- The Something Song: "The Goodbye Song".
- Truck Driver's Gear Change: Occurs on "Zombies".
- Wretched Hive: "Hell's Barbecue", which depicts a town overrun by sexual predators.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: The title of "Paranoid 6teen".
