million years ago (OK, so maybe more like 30), ambient instrumental rock was poised to take over the world (OK, maybe just the record stores). Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, and even Pink Floyd were using emerging technologies to weave electronic sounds through the fabric of rock's guitar, bass, and drums roots. And now, Saxon Shore brings these influences to bear, along with those of more modern post-rock practitioners like Mogwai, on its new album The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore.

Now, before you go thinking Saxon Shore is some kind of Pink Floyd revival band, let's be clear: This ain't your father's prog-rock. Saxon Shore uses melody and texture (but no sax) to create an instrumental "allegory of life and death," as the band says. The music alternates between pastoral passages and thunderous crescendos, as if to mimic life's ups and downs. It's pretty heady, complex stuff for an indie-rock band. Through several releases and assorted lineup changes, founder/guiding light Matt Doty has touched on these themes before, but the new lineup -- including former Shai Hulud/Rocking Horse Winner/Poulain guitarist Oliver Chapoy -- really brings Saxon Shore's ambitions to full fruition.

"I met Doty a few years ago while my old band was touring," Chapoy says, speaking from his home in Brooklyn. "We played a few shows together around upstate New York. Matt knew that I had done some programming in the past and approached me about doing an EP [Luck Will Not Save Us from a Jackpot of Nothing] with him. While the band was on tour, Doty left me with sketches of what would be The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore. I worked on programming and synth parts, and when the band returned, each member contributed their own respective parts."

The results are ambient and bold at the same time, introspective yet perfect for a starry autumn evening -- like Sunday night at Dada (52 Swinton Ave., Delray Beach), where Saxon Shore performs with the Mission Veo. The free show starts at 10 p.m. Call 561-330-DADA. -- Lewis Goldberg