(Freestyle Dust/Virgin) ***

Anyone expecting the Chems to go all folksy and chilled in their dotage is in for a surprise - We Are the Night, their best album in years, manages to conjure skeletal psyche acid grooves like it's 1988 and use them as common threads to weave a pleasing sonic tapestry.

The dark passage of the title track twists and turns through lysurgic hills and dales its wonders to perform; while The Salmon Dance could see the joke backfire on the wide-eyed ravers, although The Pharcyde's Fatlip saves the day with a nicely judged sarcastic rap.

Melodic popsters Midlake chip in with some tidy harmonies on The Pills Won't Help You Now and earnest troubadour Willy Mason has his say on Battle Scars as yet more sonic pulses propel the soul towards another euphoric breakout.