Flying Saucer Attack: New Lands

The ominous siren that opens "Past," the first track on Flying Saucer Attack's New Lands, points the way to a difficult journey ahead, an ambient landscape that's urgent and mechanized instead of placid. Not that Flying Saucer Attack makes mean-sounding mood music; tracks like "Respect" and "Night Falls" pulsate with teasing, whispered voices and layers of regal guitar that are almost pretty. But with partner Rachel Brook out of the picture, David Pearce turns up the volume: The ethereal environments on New Lands often recall Slowdive or Jesus & Mary Chain as heard in a half-remembered dream, but Pearce never allows too many familiar elements to slip into the mix. Even the drums sound like they were recorded in a faraway fog. Disorienting and almost menacing at times, New Lands continues Flying Saucer Attack's tradition of edgy ambiance.