London duo, Wrigglesworth and J. Willgoose Esq continue their "Inform-Educate-Entertain" concept with this history lesson about the American and Soviet space race from 1957 - 1972. Their second album is another clever slab of funky electronica edutainment that successfully captures the spirit of the Cold War-driven mania for space travel in the late Sixties. The various tracks are studded by a generous amount of spoken-word samples lifted from radio transmissions of the actual Apollo missions alongside contemporary newsreels and wireless broadcasts from the BFI’s archive.

John F Kennedy’s famous and instantly recognisable “we choose to go to the Moon” speech from September 1962 sets the mood for this journey, although it was the Russians who made the best start to the Space Race. The beeping signal of the pioneering "Sputnik" satellite forms the foundation for a four-on-the-floor house track. This is followed by a homage to the first man in space, "Gregarin" - a celebratory feel-good track with flurries of soul-funk horns, guitars and cheering crowd samples.

Illustrating one of the tragedies in the Space Race story "Fire In The Cockpit" has static noise and melancholy cellos accompanying news reports of the Apollo 1 fire that swept through the Command Module during a launch rehearsal test, killing the three astronauts trapped inside.

"E.V.A." (Extravehicular activity) is a portrayal of Alexei Leonov’s first spacewalk. This is upbeat funk which briefly transforms into gentle, drifting piano when he steps out of the airlock. However, this track doesn’t reflect the fun & games he experienced trying to re-enter the spacecraft. His suit had expanded so much in the low pressure he could not fit through the airlock door. This problem was solved by opening the expulsion valve on his suit to vent some of its air into space.

Chichester "Dream pop" duo, the Smoke Faries, provide their psychedelic ethereal vocals for "Valentina" - the tribute to Soviet cosmonaut and first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova. Pleasant enough but has less narrative than the other tracks and is probably the weakest of the set as it has little to hold the interest.

It's back to the Apolla missions for two great tracks that anchor the album. "The Other Side" successfully portrays the tension felt by Mission Control as Apollo 8 orbits the moon and loses radio contact on the far side before regaining it after an agonising wait. Up-tempo and exciting "Go!" tells the story of the first moon landing. The title of this track is based on the Mission Control status check (a "go/no go poll") for the Lunar Module's powered descent. A euphoric track with fast synth riffs and guitar strumming ending with a countdown to the touchdown at Tranquility Base. This was effectively USA's victory over the Soviet Union in the Space Race.

This album delivers good music and fitting soundscapes to accompany the vintage sound clips. This elevates it beyond a mere historical documentary and makes it a very entertaining way to tell the Space Race story.