A bizarre footnote in new wave history, Scotland's Blue Nile gained notoriety in the mid-'80s by proffering epic song lengths, angular rhythms and studio trickery that owed as much to experimental composer Philip Glass or the Brit artrockers Soft Machine as it did to Talking Heads. Peace at Last, the Blue Nile's first album in seven years, is predictably overwrought. Updating for the unplugged '90s, Nile leader Paul Buchanan strips down his signature sound, anchoring the songs around plainly strummed acoustic guitar. Alas, this bare-bones attack reveals that beneath the emperor's new clothes, only the schmaltz remains.

Throughout, Buchanan ditches old influences while lamely channeling new sources like Jeff Buckley (on the falsetto warbling of "Happiness"), R&B (in the limp pop-soul groove of "Sentimental Man") and – egads! – show tunes (as on the Broadway glitz of "Family Life"). Even more problematic are Buchanan's lyrics. Striving to capture the spirituality of everyday life, he presents touchy-feely platitudes redolent of the blandest Christian rock. Ultimately, Peace is undone by Buchanan's ambition: No Al Green, his material buckles under strained vocal gymnastics, not to mention his tendency to milk the same riff for nearly an entire song.

Buchanan hasn't left the '80s behind entirely. The electro funk of "Holy Love" and the sterile synth washes permeating "War Is Love" recall a time when ethereal-yet-empty groups like the Dream Academy and Icicle Works had their day on the charts. Thankfully, that day has passed. (RS 737)

MATT DIEHL