Telepathic Last Words is the third full- length offering from the now- defunct Dallas- based Course of Empire. After ten years of providing listeners with a much- needed break from the predictable sounds of any guitar/ bass/ drums rock combo, founder Vaughn Stevenson has decided that he's tired of the band not getting the recognition they deserve. He's right.

Better described as a drums/ drums/ drums/ drums band, Course of Empire have an ability to use almost any sound in a percussive manner constructive to their music. "The Information," the first single off Telepathic Last Words (which wound up on about a half- dozen various movie soundtracks) is a stunning example of this talent. Using the guitar as more of a loop machine than an instrument to flaunt pointless screaming solos, the song is more of a construct of various patterns of sound than it is a formula rock song. This leaves the overall song unencumbered by over- complicated instrument structures and competing egos, and allows more focus on vocals, which appropriately teeter and warble with staccato effects.

Last Words also boasts a re-recording of Course of Empire's first single, "Coming of the Century." Again, this is probably a way of introducing new audiences to a cool song they missed out on, but it's the perfect kind of reckless- driving song that you imagine your uncle might have listened to when he was stoned during the entirety of 1975. Not too fast, a screeching but not too pretentious guitar, and lyrics about coming of age and the end of the world... or something. Oh yeah, I guess the new millennium isn't that far off.

Attention should also be paid to the haunting, droning and bass-led "59 Minutes," a grim dedication to the basic human desire for companionship, and to the marvelous cover of the Rodgers & Hart number, "Blue Moon." Most listeners will also be treated to a bonus track, "Anonymous Call To An Unknown Woman," which sounds like an appropriate title for an X-rated Jerky Boys disc. Instead, it's an eerie and quiet poem echoed softly over whispering percussion, a perfect track to fall asleep to.

Although the band certainly tried, Telepathic Last Words is an apt title to describe the band's impending demise. Like the bulk of Course of Empire's other efforts, the album went virtually unnoticed by radio stations, and failed to receive the attention the band needed to keep the project alive. Don't make the same mistake again.

-Skaht Hansen