Some Shit Saaink

After 15 years of shorter releases on almost as many labels (or more), the drum/electronics duo of Macc & Dgohn made their full-length debut on a logical enough home -- Rephlex, Aphex Twin's label. It's not that Some Shit Saaink sounds like Richard James (Squarepusher would probably be a closer surface comparison, if anything), but it's a case that everything old is new again, given how the combination of moaning ambience and frenetic beats reconfirms how things seem to be returning to a new state of ardkore/jungle activity. Rather than sounding out of time, songs like "7C 1020" and "Sundays" sound -- especially after the impact of dubstep's flowing creep-outs -- like everyone came around to where the two had started. The snippet of muttered vocals opening "Bamba" and interspersing "Gever" and "Yut" add to the feeling of rough immediacy (while the latter's hollow room-over drums at the start make everything feel even more unsettled if it all possible); if it's not the kind of gabber insanity from the dawn of the sound then it's definitely the instrumental counterpart at many points. Other strong songs -- like "Mustard Greens," with its bright, cascading central drum part and sudden break to distant dub echo and low bass rumble -- make the album an engaging, enjoyable listen. ~ Ned Raggett