Much of the reason that the album seemed a tad disappointing upon its 1995 release was that the teaser EP issued over a year earlier was so fantastic -- its three tracks possess an organic vitality and soulful grit that the overly fussy versions reprised on sorely lack. exists at the intersection of cosmic and salt-of-the-earth , fusing a chugging, hypnotic guitar riff with backing vocals and horn arrangements channeled from some off-planet franchise of . somehow manages to achieve exit velocity despite (or maybe because of) a grinding, circular melody that actually goes nowhere, and the two-part instrumental title cut captures the same arriving-without-traveling zeitgeist. advises in the liner notes to "play loud 'n' drive fast" -- words worth heeding at all times. ~ Jason Ankeny