I must admit that upon first listen, this record scared the shit out of me.

That's not meant to sound derogative -- it's just the simple truth. And when I really think about it, that may be the biggest compliment I've ever given an album.

Now let me explain why.

It's a strange musical creature, this Fly Pan Am, an ever expanding musical mosaic that leaves you uncertain where the music will take you...and even less sure whether or not you want to follow it there. Fly Pan Am mine the same musical territory as fellow Montréal natives Godspeed You Black Emperor, if that gives you any insight into their sound. But Fly Pan Am is much more horrifying than anything GYBE has ever committed to tape, which might be hard for some to believe. They create a musical outerworld where soothing repeated chords clash with random blasts of tape hiss, industrial clatter and white noise, at times leading you to believe that your speakers might be melting. The short-wave blips, gently floating melody and tribal percussion of "Dans ses cheveux soixante circuits" gently lulls you, only to disintegrate into a heap of hissing, shrieking, feedback-laced cacophony which could cause some to lose control of their bladders. Each of the album's other four tracks follows similar paths but manages to sound completely different, as if different musicians were called in for each composition.

Thrilling and frightening...the soundtrack to your nightmares. That's Fly Pan Am.