Customer Reviews

New Lands

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

FSA's danciest release to date. A comment which might seem completely erroneous, but they've always had a hypnotic, irresistible sound. And now they have regular percussion that impels you to swing your head around in a demented tribalistic rhythm. Swathes and swathes of guitar noise, fuzz and these mesmerising beats come at you demolishing any form of thought you had and lead your mind into a nether region of unrealised and undefined dreams, images and a simple delight.

FSA, was by this point just one member, Dave Pearce for Rachel Brooks had already left. FSA is based in Bristol, England. What made me FIRST aware of FSA is hearing this disc's tune "Forever" on a community radio station. I knew that I wanted to obtain this CD. The opener "Past" sounds great, but it ends very suddenly. The songs "Present", "Up In Her Eyes", and "Respect" seem to fuse together with Syd Barrett-like vocals and some noisy feedback. "The Sea" is a very cool psychedelic track. So, how would I describe FSA's sound? Perhaps tidbits of Pink Floyd,Legendary Pink Dots and some of the complexity of Can. In my opinion anyway, one of the BEST drone CD's ever made. Right along side with their 'In Search Of Spaces' release.

No longer quite as reliant upon over-amplifying the most heavily adjusted setting to his distortion pedal or digital echo box, Dave Peace advances the sound on "New Lands" by incorporating percussion on the majority of the tracks comprising his third full-length release, and completely striking any meditative acoustic passage from this CD, the first in "Phase Two" of Flying Saucer Attack. Gone are the vast and infinite soundscapes from "Further" and "Chorus"; there is more of an emphasis on rough-hewn guitar ambience here. I feel there is a tendency to locate "New Lands" in its own special little niche as a result, but I can't help hearing echoes of their first (and self-titled) full-length here, specifically "My Dreaming Hill", "Make Me Dream", "Still", and "The Season is Ours", though without the percussive element present here. "New Lands" lacks the warmth and expansiveness that characterized much of "Distance", "Further", and "Chorus", and while it may initially have been a sensitive issue after the first run-through each of the tracks, repeated listening helps divulge the antecedent for its musical direction. It does break new ground for the band, albeit in tinier spadefuls than their three prior releases would have had a dedicated listener of FSA forecast.

This is my least favourite Flying Saucer Attack album. The aspect I like best is the heaviness of the beats and bass on the first few tracks, which give them a weird, home-made kind of power. This album is kind of ugly, but it's totally unique.