Statek kosmiczny Ścianka (Ścianka the Spaceship; often abbreviated to Statek kosmiczny) released in 1998 was the debut album of Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 rock group Ścianka

Scianka

Ścianka is a Polish rock band formed in 1994 in Sopot by guitarist Maciej Cieślak. In 1998 Ścianka were signed by independent label Biodro Records and recorded their debut album entitled Statek kosmiczny Ścianka . After its release, the group received critical and audience acclaim...

. Album was recorded in Maciek Cieślak's home studio in Sopot

Sopot

Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....

. It received a Fryderyk Award nomination in "Debut of the year" category and was awarded best debut album of the year by Tylko Rock

Tylko Rock

Tylko Rock is a monthly hobbymagazine in Poland about all kinds of rock music. It was founded on September 1991 by Wiesław Królikowski, and Wiesław Weiss. In 2003 Tylko Rock has been transformed into Teraz Rock magazine...

magazine. There were no singles promoting the album, but "Skuter" received status of biggest Ścianka's hit among their fans. "Skuter" was also chosen by Artur Rojek

Artur Rojek

Artur Rojek is the guitarist and lead singer of the Polish alternative rock group Myslovitz. He and the lead guitarist Wojciech Powaga founded the Mysłowice-based group in 1992...

 to be official song for the 2nd Off Festival

Off Festival

OFF Festival is alternative music festival held annually since 2006, sponsored by mBank and Lech, and promoted by one of Poland's national radio stations, Program 3 Polskiego Radia. Until 2009 it was held at Słupna Park in Mysłowice, Poland in August and lasts four days...

 in 2007.

Recording and production

Statek kosmiczny Ścianka was first studio album of Ścianka. Maciej Cieślak decided to sign Ścianka on newly founded record label, Tymon Tymański's Biodro Records

Biodro Records

Biodro Records is a Polish record label founded in 1998 by Tymon Tymański, Andrzej Maroszek and Dariusz Dikti.Its first releases, P.O.L.O.V.I.R.U.S. by Tymon Tymański's Kury and Statek kosmiczny Ścianka by Ścianka were big artistic and commercial success on polish alternative music market, winning...

. Entire album was recorded in guitarist's home studio in the basement of old house in Mickiewicza Street in Sopot. Four songs ("Insect power", "Ścianka", "Skuter" and "Sopot") were previously unofficially released in their raw versions on demo tape entitled Robaki.

According to Cieślak, at first Tymański wished to issue a debut album of another Tricity alternative band, Grzegorz Nawrocki's Ego. Because Ego's Światowid was released by Antena Krzyku label, Tymański's decided to release Statek kosmiczny instead, after attending one of Ścianka live performances.

Shortly after the release, Ścianka underwent major change in personnel, when Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

ese bassist Tran Chi was replaced with Andrzej Koczan. Tran Chi left Poland and went France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, reportedly because of private or political issues.

Promotion

Both band and Biodro Records agree, that promotion of the album wasn't sufficient enough. Music video to "Piosenka No 3" was created; it was directed by Dawid Marcinkowski.

Critical response

Statek kosmiczny received almost strictly positive reviews from Polish music critics. Problems with classification of Ścianka's music led to creation of jocose descriptive term "post-fuckin'avant-hendrix'grunge-noise-rock". Their style was compared to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Residents

The Residents

The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....

, Hawkwind

Hawkwind

Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....

, The Stooges

The Stooges

The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...

, Captain Beefheart

Captain Beefheart

Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...

, Velvet Underground, MC5

MC5

The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...

, Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

, and modern noise-rock artists signed to Amphetamine Reptile and SKiN GRAFT Records

Skin Graft Records

Skin Graft Records is an independent record label specializing in No Wave and noise rock music, originally based in Chicago, Illinois...

, as well.

Chart performance and sales

Album was relatively big commercial success, and was sold in more than 5,000 copies. Album is currently out of print and unavailable on Biodro Records catalogue.

Track listing

1. [untitled] – 0:10
2. "Skuter" – 2:32
3. [untitled] – 0:29
4. "Ścianka" – 7:18
5. "Piosenka nr 3" – 3:45
6. "Insect power" – 2:34
7. [untitled] – 0:05
8. "Czerwone kozaki" – 7:51
9. "Sopot" – 2:56
10. "Trans-Atlantyk" – 8:57
11. [untitled] – 0:41
12. "Sprawa 5-ciu pracowników Instytutu Badań Kosmicznych, zbiegłych w kwietniu 1973 z terenu zakładu w Beskid Wschodni i tam doszczętnie zdziczałych" - 0:30
13. "Chudy" – 3:12
14. "Down there low" – 7:54
15. "Sopot II" – 3:53
16. [untitled] – 0:05
17. "Piórko" – 6:39
18. "Ja nie" – 5:07

Personnel

• Maciej Cieślak – guitar
  Guitarist
  A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
  
  , voice
• Jacek Lachowicz
  Jacek Lachowicz
  Jacek Lachowicz is a Polish musician, author and producer. He began his musical career playing synthesizer in the alternative rock group Ścianka from 1996 to 2005...
  
   – keyboards
  Keyboardist
  A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
  
  , voice
• Tran Chi – bass
  Bassist
  A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
  
  
• Arkady Kowalczyk – drums
  Drummer
  A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
  
  .