And the newest effort from Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins -- the expansive, dizzying and provocative Lift -- is no exception. Perhaps the definitive Love And Rockets album, Lift melds all of their previous stylistic explorations into a total meltdown musical experience; one that is at once future-shockingly modern and instantly classic.

Always several steps ahead of the bandwagon, Love And Rockets snubbed mainstream success and followed up their million-plus selling album -- 1989’s Love And Rockets (which yielded the left-field Top 10 hit "So Alive") -- with the astonishing electronic experiment Hot Trip To Heaven, which was recorded in 1992 and released in 1994. "We needed a complete break from the old style," says Daniel, the group’s lead singer/guitarist/co-lyricist, as he explains the band’s motive behind this giant risk. "Doing another Earth Sun Moon or Express -- what’s the point of that?"

"We were inspired to make music that was really free, without consideration of commerciality," Kevin, who plays drums and percussion, adds. "It was really enjoyable to make."

Though Hot Trip To Heaven does indeed seem a dramatic departure from the trio’s earlier output, it was really just another logical stage in Love And Rockets’ progression. As far back as Bauhaus, who were massively influenced by proto-electronic bands like Suicide, the three had dabbled in remixes, releasing a dub mix of "She’s In Parties." Later Love And Rockets released numerous club mixes, starting with 1985’s "Ball Of Confusion." But it was in 1989, during the recording of their self-titled breakthrough album, that the band was exposed to Britain’s burgeoning acid-house scene, which would become one of their greatest future influences. That shift in direction was first evidenced on "Bike Dance," the b-side to "Motorcycle," and came to full fruition on Hot Trip To Heaven, a body of work which predated the much-hyped "electronica revolution" by several years. "We had this theory that it would either be like Dark Side Of The Moon -- a massive success -- or do nothing at all," Daniel concedes. "It was going to be one or the other because it was so different at the time."

And while Hot Trip To Heaven did not develop into the chart-topping success of its predecessor, it did undeniably foreshadow the sound of the late ‘90s, thereby establishing it as a benchmark offering for both the group and the future wave of contemporary music.

After its release, Love And Rockets returned to the airwaves with the hit "Sweet Lover Hangover" (from Sweet F.A.) and at the same time entrenched themselves more deeply in the electronic music scene. All three members now make regular appearances DJing at various clubs in their new home base of Los Angeles -- spinning a gamut-spanning range of music from the 1940s through the ‘90s: everything from Glen Miller to The Propellerheads to Cabaret Voltaire and Billie Holiday. Kevin even provided sampling and looping duties on Kettle Whistle, the recent Jane’s Addiction reunion album.

It was at this vital stage in their career that Love And Rockets began work on Lift, recruiting producer Doug DeAngelis for the project after just one ten minute telephone conversation. DeAngelis -- known for his remix work for The Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Janet Jackson, and Michael Jackson, amongst others -- quickly relocated from New York to L.A., and for all purposes became an honorary member of Love And Rockets, playing a huge role in the shaping of the album. "He said it was the most satisfying thing he’s ever worked on," smiles Kevin.

Over the next year, he and the band carefully crafted Lift, whittling a possible 30 songs down to 12 choice cuts and paying close attention to the drum looping and the album’s overall sequence and flow. "We’ve never worked so hard on a record," Daniel asserts. "We’ve never been so exacting on ourselves."

"Daniel, David and Kevin have a gift for connecting life with music that was absolutely fascinating to absorb," DeAngelis marvels. "Too deep to explain, but it is the magic behind Lift," the producer decrees.

With 12 songs that are densely layered with resonant white noise, yet strong and melodic enough to be played on a single acoustic guitar and stand on their own, Lift is an electronic album that belies the notion that techno music can’t have soul, song structure or personality, that it has to be cold and anonymous. This ambitious, fully-realized work provides a true deep-immersion listening experience, defined in part by the title track -- a shimmering haze of electrical fireworks that bookends the album in two versions, giving it a satisfying sense of completion. The sexy and slinky "Holy Fool" features a bass groove as warm and natural as a human pulse and sassy backup vocals courtesy of Jill Cunniff from Luscious Jackson. Her bandmates, Kate Schellenbach and Gabby Glaser, contributed percussion. "We wanted to get the Spice Girls, but they were too expensive," jokes Daniel. "Too Much Choice" is a lavish and glamorous hyper-ballad, an "Avalon" for the ‘90s, with its languid, Bryan Ferry-ish crooning and dreamy synth washes. The delicious "Deep Deep Down" is a heady and hypnotic dub epic; "Pink Flamingo" is a sizzling slab of hot wax that sounds like a slow-jam deduction soundtrack from outer space, and "Party’s Not Over," despite its happy-go-lucky title, is the album’s spookiest track, an ether-floating, minimalist dirge as dramatic and chilling as anything by Portishead.

"It’s really more schizophrenic than ever now," says Daniel of the disc’s sprawling, sensory-overloading amalgam of styles. "There are now two or three personalities within the group, and it’s getting stranger all the time because one minute we’re one thing and the next minute we’re something completely different." Yet, ironically, this split-personality mix makes for a remarkably focused and cohesive album.

Prefacing Lift, out this Fall is a series of remixes for the track "Resurrection Hex," a blood-pumping tribal stomp of near-religious fervor featuring buried samples of both Adam Ant’s "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" and Bauhaus’ own "Stigmata Martyr" and "In the Night" Among those doing the cut-and-paste remix honors are Moonshine Records darling Superstar DJ Keoki, aggro-electronic legends KMFDM and underground house mixers Mood II Swing. But perhaps most noteworthy are the three different remixes by Deep Dish, the D.C. deep-house duo behind the BT/Tori Amos club hit "Blue Skies" who have also done mixes for the Shamen, Everything But The Girl, The Pet Shop Boys, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Olive, Adam F and even the Rolling Stones. What Doug DeAngelis didn’t know when he first approached Deep Dish about remixing "Resurrection Hex" was that they were already big Love And Rockets fans. "He went to see them in the studio just to suggest this idea," recalls David J, the band’s bassist and co-lyricist, "and they had all our CDs on top of their desk as part of their in-house collection." And he thought, "Hmmm. That bodes well’!"

White-label vinyl copies of the "Resurrection Hex" remixes have already been tested in dance clubs, where they have been universally met with rump-shaking enthusiasm. A second release is planned to follow "Resurrection Hex," which will also be commercially available on vinyl and CD. This release will include remixes of the super-kinetic, seizure-inducing, over-caffeinated "RIP20 C" by Rabbit In The Moon, Junior Sanchez and Doug DeAngelis plus a surprise bonus track reconstructed by Roger S.

Musical trends come and go, and with them march a battalion of faceless, interchangeable bands who maneuver their way in and out of the 15-minute limelight. Love And Rockets -- wielding incomparable instincts and tireless commitment to their art -- are the soldiers who stand their ground with confidence and conviction. In doing so, Love And Rockets have maintained their integrity and vision. "The bottom line is, if it is the real thing, it’ll be heard," Daniel flatly states.

Love And Rockets are the real thing and, with this latest album, once again prove that they are at the top of their game as Lift elevates the group to new artistic heights and propels the listener to the apex of sonic ecstasy.