Ritual Union

Diverse post-Machine Dreams collaborations with Gorillaz, David Sitek/Maximum Balloon, Raphael Saadiq, and SBTRKT made Ritual Union the most anticipated Little Dragon album yet. Perhaps coincidentally, it represents a fusion and refinement of the group's first two albums. Much of it crosses Little Dragon's lithe, alien R&B with Machine Dreams' straightforward, rubbery new wave. Nothing has the plaintive chill of the debut's otherworldly ballad "Twice," but some of the snappier songs -- the hushed "Brush the Heat," the bopping "Nightlight," and the scampering "Shuffle a Dream" especially -- are tricked out with foreign sonic baubles and accents. This is not to say that Ritual Union is short on new developments. The group puts some twists on its sound, and Yukimi Nagano's lyrical thorns, typically concealed by her subtle approach -- no need to ask for her indoor voice -- are sharper than ever. Synths swarm warily throughout the cynical title song, where Nagano confronts her father (or a father): "You ran away so many times/Your kids, your heart, a couple dimes." "Summertearz" is the most unique of all -- a pinging tribal beat and chant with Nagano weeping, "So lead me on, into your web." ~ Andy Kellman