**1/2 Spectrum

(Reprise)

Ever since Spaceman 3 split up, back in '91, aural astro-nut Peter Kember (a/k/a Sonic Boom) has been on a one-man mission to make everything his former co-pilot Jason Pierce does in Spiritualized sound, well, mundanely down to earth by comparison. So with Pierce and his crew zoning out to swirling, narcotic, guitar-driven psychedelia, Kember has abandoned guitar rock altogether for the astral planes of knob-twisting ambiance. The sonic spectrum of Spectrum runs from undulating vintage synth drones and vibrations to robotic Vocoder-treated prose about extraterrestrial lifeforms and acid chemists, with very little in the way of hooks or rhythm tracks to grab on to. And though Resident Alien goes a long way toward proving that Kember and Spaceman 3 were well ahead of the ambient-pop curve back in the late '80s, it's also a bit more compelling in theory than in practice -- unless, of course, you're properly medicated.

-- Matt Ashare