Released on 16 September 1996, "Spiders" was the debut album by the English band Space. It arrived during the final echoes of the Britpop era and was noted for its eclectic mix of styles and genres—ranging from rock and hip-hop to techno and funk—reflecting the band members' personal tastes. Meanwhile, the lyrics, penned by vocalist Tommy Scott, drew inspiration from films and dark, black-humored tales featuring sadistic characters. The album catapulted the band to stardom, making them hugely popular at the time; it spawned five singles—"Money," "Kill Me," "Neighbourhood," "Female of the Species," "Me and You Versus the World," and finally "Dark Clouds"—and was a critical success.
Formed in 1993, the band initially drew influence from hip-hop—specifically Cypress Hill's bass-heavy sound—leading them to recruit an old acquaintance, Franny Griffiths. Griffiths, who was living and working at a club in Ibiza at the time, took charge of samplers and keyboards; his contribution ultimately defined the band's sound and helped them secure a contract with Gut Records.
Production was handled by Stephen Lironi, who grasped the band's concept and their melting pot of sounds and influences—ranging from British bands to crooners like Frank Sinatra. He achieved a perfect harmony between rock and electronic elements, ensuring guitars didn't drown out the beats (and vice versa), which gave the album a distinctive atmosphere. Although often labeled a Britpop band, the lead singer maintained that their only connection to the genre was their British accents and country of origin—nothing more. It is worth remembering that this was during the final glory days of Britpop.
The album opened with the single "Neighbourhood" featured elements of spy-movie soundtracks, with lyrics describing a neighborhood populated by peculiar characters who all distrust one another. The hit that reached our shores, "Female of the Species," was an ode to a lover who practiced witchcraft, blending the styles of Burt Bacharach and alternative music. Then there was "Money," inspired by the work of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera", and "Me & You Vs. the World," which drew inspiration from the 1994 film "Natural Born Killers"—a track whose sound was... ...inspired by early '60s British bands—featuring the album's most pop-oriented track, "Love Child Of The Queen," the satirical "No-One Understands," and, of course, the vibrant and lively "Dark Clouds."
While the album was well-known in Europe and parts of Latin America, the band didn't expect much success in the United States due to their eclectic mix of influences and the vocalist's singing style. Nevertheless, the record gained a reputation and found success among a small circle of alternative music fans—particularly through college radio stations that championed this type of sound. This exposure helped them reach broader airwaves, and the music video for "Female Of The Species" received rotation on MTV2's 120 Minutes. That was how audiences in America discovered them, alongside exposure via BBC One programming on cable television.
The album represented the band's biggest gamble; it is often cited not only as one of the best albums of 1996 but also as a standout in lists of the top 1,000 albums of all time—a distinction shared by their most famous single, "Female Of The Species." which was the jewel of the crown.
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