The Now Sound of Ursula 1000

Album Review

After the deluge of faceless downtempo collectives, there didn't seem to be much room for musicians who didn't want to reconstruct Massive Attack's Blue Lines, as Ursula 1000 illustrates: big Wall of Sound woofer-tickling, inventive samples laced without an overbearing sense of quirkiness, and exclusively refined breaks spun with the gravitas of a bloodshot junglist. But the spliffed-out elite's loss is our gain. The supple, mascara-lined loungecore retains a sense of humor as it boots its way into the grooves and only an idiot would write off the funky francophilia of "Mambo 1000" as it mimics Dr. No's "Jump Up" remixed by Fatboy Slim. A black sheep, but a black sheep to keep an eye on.