Chorus

No guitarist working within the psychedelic spectrum during the 1990's pushed tuneful feedback to its limits as heavily as Dave Pearce, to the point where it sounded as if he was channeling the ever-present background static coursing from the most infinite points of the universe. Sure, there were moments (primarily on their second full-length release "Further") where Pearce straps on an acoustic guitar to pluck and strum wistful, meditative passages to complement that vastness, but his use of the most heavily warped setting of distortion and digital echo captured a sound that was immediately identifiable as "Flying Saucer Attack". On several tracks on "Chorus", his second collection of singles, that sound is extended and refined even further than on previous full-length releases ("FSA", and "Further") and singles collection ("Distance"). And this is evident from the first track, "Feedback Song", where each heavily amplified and echo-laden riff sounds as if it is a drone exiting from a hive to soar high into air and taking a moment to levitate on an open current of air while it waits for each successive drone behind it to join it in flight before it disappears past the horizon. "Always" and "Second Hour" offer the perfect distillation of Pearce's sculpted feedback without the mediation of acoustic guitar, while "Beach Red Lullaby" offers that accompaniment with the added bonus of Rachel Brooks handling the vocals, and "Light in the Evening" is distinguished by a massive backwash of heavy fuzz, almost like pollen being stripped from a plant in the springtime by the assault of cross-directional breeze. "There But Not There" emerges as the track on this release that hearkens back to the ambient, percussion-driven pieces from "Further" ("To the Shore"), "Distance" ("Distance"), and "FSA" ("Popul Vuh 1")As with Flying Saucer Attack's earlier releases, "Chorus" is difficult but not impossible to find. Anyone who favors the expansive guitar sounds of psychedelic bands from the '90's as divergent as Bardo Pond and Windy and Carl should definitely consider ordering a copy to experience FSA's timeless, contemplative sound in depth.

I own at least 1,000 CDs and have listened to countless others, but this is easily one of my all-time favorites. FSA's sound is almost impossible to describe in words. It's at once both alien and inviting, lush and spartan, nihilistic and reaffirming. While each of their albums has much to recommend them, I feel 'Chorus', with perhaps the sole exception of 'Further', stands out as the brightest star in a constellation of excellent albums. Just listen to 'Always' once and you'll get a great glimpse of what FSA was all about, and what sort of heights they could reach. I'm not sure I can make out more than 10-12 words amidst the torrential feedback and distorted backwash, and what's there as far as vocals sounds so distant, emotionally and physically, that they may as well have been recorded over a string can phone from Mars, and yet, 'Always' is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Indeed, given the right set and setting, it is positively rapturous. If there is in fact a God, I got far closer to him or her while listening to this album than I ever did in half a lifetime of church.

Excellent. It's like ambient music played through LOUD ELECTRIC GUITARS. Pure, washing waves of fuzzy guitar cleanse you of all pretention and distraction. This is not music that was created for some cynical music clique or shallow style. This is amazing, formative space rock in the vein of Spacemen 3 and Minmae. Very different, original, and awesome. Drift away from the confused world into a pure realm of beauty and rockin-ness.If you like this I HIGHLY recommend Minmae, Surface of Eceyon, Subarachnoid Space, and My Bloody Valentine. Oh yeah and you can find this out of print epic on bleep.com

These frazzled acoustic and electric distortions only work when concentrating on instrumental reverb pile-up. Most of the time, horrible vocal-guided vacant repetitions and weak strum patterns guide this boring process instead.

Very evocative music - it sounds like waves on a shore, or floating along the tops of clouds, or a dream where you're driving alone through the wilderness.Probably my favourite album cover, also - to me, the music sounds like the actual place depicted on the cover.