Recording as Midland, Harry Agius specializes in bumping, bass-heavy house, but the debut album from AKASE, his duo with singer/songwriter Robbie Redway, has more melancholy moods in mind. Agius keeps the tempos slow, the beats muted, and the synths glowing, while Redway's plaintive falsetto evokes exquisite sadness. "Another day my life has turned to dust," he sighs in "Rust," over a splintered beat; "Call" is just as pained, but also more sensual, thanks to its shuffling, sidewinding groove. The rich harmonies of "Borderlines," meanwhile, underscore the project's bittersweet yearning.