Dutch band Smalts formed 20 years ago with a line up that included three members of their original band Minny Pops (whose material will be re-issued on UK LTM label shortly) plus a new drummer and that is still the same line up today. "It's Good to be on a well-run Ship" is a concept album dedicated to the victims of two years ago tragic and controversial disaster of Russian submarine Kursk and their families. The entire CD booklet is written in both English and Russian and comes with pictures of the sub, victims and mourning families. Musically they move between psychedelic electronic and post wave vanguard rock inspired by their former band, the Residents, the Legendary Pink Dots, Velvet Underground, Vadergraaf, Studio Pagol, Pink Floyd, Barry Adamson, Brian Eno and so forth... You'll find apocalyptic atmospheres engraced by ethnical percussions (track 5), introspective pinkish experimental vocal-centered acoustic ballads (1, 3, 13), almost out of context ethno-dub (2), electronic floors with ethnic passages (4, 8, 12), typcally Russian-inspired music with Russian words (6), very modern eastern-flavored electro-acoustic suites (7, 11), modern folk music soaked into electronic music and treated as dub music (9), interesting and challenging blends of blues-inspired funktronics (10). Very variegated and eclectic album with a noble intent and a theme that deserves more attention and more action than what has been done (or better say, not done...).