The lights go down; the curtains part; the orchestra comes in with a swelling, heroic flourish, then fades away as our story begins: "I dreamed of you on my farm," croons our narrator in nasal, Neil Young tones over a romantic piano melody and fluttering violins. "I dreamed of you in my arms. But dreams are always wrong."

Welcome to the latest lush production of space-pop artistes Mercury Rev, whose own bio could be a movie in itself. Once a noisy art-chaos ensemble -- ironically formed to create soundtracks for various members' films -- the constantly shifting group has slowly evolved into an ornate post-psychedelic ensemble a la Flaming Lips (guitarist Jonathan Donahue's one-time band). And All is Dream, their fifth album and long-overdue followup to 1998's brilliant and lovely Deserter's Songs, is their most ambitious and fully formed work to date -- an album that redefines cinematic with a stunning aural tapestry of psychedelic guitar-driven swirl, post-rock daring, string-based orchestral grandeur and heart-tugging romanticism.

All is Dream was to be produced by '60s legend Jack Nitzsche, who died shortly before recording began. Even without his presence -- but doubtlessly with the presence of his spirit -- they have created a stirring masterpiece destined for critics year-end lists (including ours). And that's your happy ending. (More on:Mercury Rev)

Track Listing 1. Dark Is Rising
2. Tides Of The Moon
3. Chains
4. Lincoln's Eyes
5. Nite And Fog
6. Little Rhymes
7. Drop In Time
8. You're My Queen
9. Spiders And Flies
10. Hercules