Lucid Dreams

(Backroads Music)

Do you think Mr. Rogers theme song rocks? Is Yanni your idea of the perfect "mood" music? Are you a fan of the generic "Indian" flute recordings sold in every truck stop of the Southwest? If the answer is a resounding "yes!", then Alias Zone is your fantasy come true.

First of all, you have to love the way synthesizers are being used today. I mean, toss in some assorted drumbeat, light techno, chanting people, and animal sounds and voila - you have "a mixture of ambient dub, world beat, exotica and voices in many tongues." Synthesizers are great, but here producers over-mixed potentially good music into a fine sludge.

I like my music chunky. I like being able to tell that music was recorded by human beings with the capacity to mess up. I am impressed by a group's talent, not by sounds that have been reworked and refined to perfection.

And there really isn't anything impressive about the debut Lucid Dreams that sets it apart from the crowd. I listened to it play in my five-disc changer without even knowing that it was on. I've heard video game music more inspiring and lively.

There were times while listening that I almost couldn't bear it. The voice-narrated songs are interesting for about five seconds but quickly become monotonous and dull.

The name Alias Zone fits perfectly with the group, since nobody would willingly put his or her true name on an album like this. The title Lucid Dreams could also be the group's way of saying "whoops."

Unless you shop for all your music at the Discovery Store or belong to the Heaven's Gate Cult, steer clear of this New Age, meaningless fodder. Find something with a message and soul of its own.