XLR8R

It sucks when great artists try new things that don't quite work. But anything that Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie can cook up on a bad day is still loads better than most do at their peak. Silicone Soul's third full-length finds them straying into quieter, more contemplative moments that somehow don't sound as polished as their lean, crisp tech-house lines, through which emotion always shined so clearly. Fans will appreciate two standouts: "The Snakecharmer," which curls exotic flute tones around bass notes like a slithering reptile, and "Margin For Madness," which guides a dark journey into lovely acid recesses.