Further (1995)

I spent a lot of time listening to this album by Flying Saucer Attack wondering how many other albums (specifically second albums like this one) contain the word “further.” The internet helped a little: the Chemical Brothers (seventh album), Geneva (first album), Richard Hawley (ninth album), Outasight (third mixtape), and Solace (first album). I also found The Further Adventures of Bruce Cockburn, Further Complications by Jarvis Cocker, and Further Joy by the Regrettes. I’m sure there are many more (and don’t forget the Merry Prankster bus, Furthur). I don’t know all those acts but the title is certainly a natural, especially for an outfit like Flying Saucer Attack, British purveyors of space-rock and/or noise-rock and/or shoegaze. Listener’s choice. In fact, the noise quotient from their first, self-titled album from 1993 has been plainly toned down and shaped up here for interludes that don’t necessarily involve gravity or physics. I have to say the band pulls a dirty trick on “For Silence,” a 7:39 piece that starts with a mellow vibe from the bottom of a well and goes about two minutes. Then a break of silence that feels long before it ramps up and trundles into a feedback montage that soars and drifts and only grows in majestic strength, until finally it is abruptly cut off like someone pulled a plug. Hey, man, I was getting into that! My favorite track, or at least my favorite sound effect, could well be “Here Am I,” with a mysterious recurring sound that feels like loneliness itself, an isolated monster weeping in the wilderness. But “To the Shore,” which immediately follows, may objectively be the best workup here, if only for its imposing length of 12:08. Typically, it starts slow and gradually defines itself as a rhythmic groove, finally bringing in their favorite ingredient, feedback, and maintaining a hypnotic space that swirls and expands and soothes. It’s basically everything I come to Flying Saucer Attack for. Also, you can play this album at any volume and it always works well, though different elements work better at different volumes. You’ll have to experiment with that yourself to see how you like it. Me, I like keeping it around for regular listens. It fits certain moods in a way few others I’ve encountered can.