A thin-mix, cut’n’paste attempt at what Loop Guru perfected five years ago. The best you can say is that it’s from the band that launched Natasha Atlas.
Where Massive Attack excel in dark, disturbing thumps of electronic boom, Alpha dwell in the nostalgic world of ’60s lounge-pop made hip by Burt Bacharach.
Somehow connected to the Residents, Toby Dammit has collected an assortment of beats and rhythms to ease your aching head. Or to ache your easing head.
Two talented and adventurous guitarists play with new sounds. Sometimes the songs devolve into sheer noise and feedback, sometimes an acoustic track emerges.
This Ascension combines rich layers of guitar sounds with strong female vocals. Dru’s clear voice is refreshing over the aggressive melodies and rhythms.
Gone are the powerful instrumentals of previous albums. Gone too are the haunting vocals, which have been replaced by a virtually monotonous alternarock voice.