Drum'n'bass artistes everywhere should take note: song structures are your friends. The groove never suffers from proximity to a singer, and lyrics generally impose structure on what can, all too often, otherwise devolve into mere funky longwindedness.
Bugs (
Andrew Jervis and David Biegel) understand this, and as a result, their debut is a rich and spicy stew of thick, dark grooves that throb with contained and organized energy. Various singers lend their talents to the project, including the up-and-coming drum'n'bass chanteuse
Terra Deva (who never sounded as sexy on her solo album as she does here on the simmering "Broken") and a woman with the evocative name
Storm Large (whose "About You" sounds like something Baxter could have written if English were their first language). The production is virtuosic throughout -- note the flanged and delayed percussion on "Let Go" and the tasteful use of jazzy flute on "About You." There's a sly but respectful nod to old-school hip-hop in the power chords and midtempo turntablism of "Superscience." Overall, this is one of the most satisfying discs of the year in any genre.