Extended Revelation For The Psychic Weaklings Of The Western

The full title of this album is Extended Revelation for the Psychic Weaklings of Western Civilization. The music itself is not as screamingly pretentious as the title. In fact, the music is pretty seriously wonderful. A bit more focused than the Soundtrack of Our Lives' exceedingly diverse debut, Welcome to the Infant Freebase, this hour-long effort focuses on the trippy and ethereal side of the group's musical personality. Echoes of turn-of-the-'70s Pink Floyd color many of the songs, especially the roiling instrumental opener "Regenesis." Elsewhere, a melodic quality akin to the Sell Out-era Who surfaces, particularly on "Safety Operation" and "Let It Come Alive." (Comparatively, the largely acoustic "Serpentine Age Queen" could almost be a Tommy outtake.) As before, Bjorn Olsson's sterling, ultra-atmospheric guitar work is the group's secret weapon (check out his lyrical instrumental interlude "Aqua Vera"), but the orchestral arrangements and unexpected keyboard and percussion accents make this album a richly textured and deeply satisfying listen. The music is somber almost to the point of humorlessness, and the lyrics will precipitate the rolling of eyes among some listeners, but this is '90s psychedelia at its finest. ~ Stewart Mason