Splazsh

Sharper, sprawling, and more bent in comparison to 2008's Hazyville -- Darren Cunningham's first Actress album -- Splazsh is a brilliantly malformed collision of dubstep, IDM, garage, and experimental techno. Even if each one of these tracks didn't sound like it was coated in silt, there would be friction to spare. "Lost" is grounded in sub-bass tones that are washed out by fragile, disembodied vocal samples, streaks of agitated hi-hats, and a decaying twinkle of a keyboard vamp. "Purrple Splazsh," a clipped groove that begins as abruptly as it ends, is less post-dubstep than alien new wave funk. "Senorita" swings like one of Kenny Dixon, Jr.'s early deep-house productions for Norma Jean Bell, yet it's so muffled that you might as well be listening to it through speakers draped with blankets. "Bubble Butts and Equations" evokes nothing of the sort -- it's more like a radioactive lagoon of diseased, lancing synthesizer notes from which rusted widgets emerge. Not really coherent (and, evidently, not the least bit concerned about it), Splazsh nonetheless keeps ears perked and astounded. ~ Andy Kellman