Thanks to some radio play for "2Wicky" (from their debut album, A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular), Hooverphonic won mainstream attention and early admission into the trip-hop pantheon. But this Belgian group's sound was always closer to the warm etherealness and pop aspirations of bands like Australia's Single Gun Theory than the wispy experimentalism of Portishead. Well, they'll probably still be labeled a trip-hop band, but Blue Wonder Power Milk is essentially an electronica-tinged symphonic pop album-and a very strong one, at that. The breathy coo of new vocalist Geike Arnaert melds effortlessly with the languid beats of tracks like "Club Montepulciano" and "Eden" as well as with the more muscular drum & bass of "Battersea". In fact, almost all the songs-many of which are augmented by simple string arrangements-possess a beguiling beauty guaranteed to keep your finger on the repeat button. Highly recommended. -Steve Landau Thanks to the radio ubiquity of "2Wicky" (from their debut album, A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular), Hooverphonic won mainstream attention and early admission into the trip-hop pantheon. But this Belgian group's sound was always closer to the warm etherealness and pop aspirations of bands like Australia's Single Gun Theory than the wispy experimentalism of Britain's Portishead. Well, they'll probably still be labeled a trip-hop band, but Blue Wonder Power Milk is essentially an electronica-tinged symphonic pop album-and a very strong one, at that. The breathy coo of new vocalist Geike Arnaert melds effortlessly with the languid beats of tracks like "Club Montepulciano" and "Eden" as well as with the more muscular drum & bass of "Battersea. [+]

Shuffle up, Roots Manuva: on USSR: The Art Of Listening, Russian-born trickster turntablist DJ Vadim encapsulates the ethic of leftfield hip-hop imprint Ninja Tune with a skill that leaves all but the brightest of his contemporaries in the shade. The public-service-announcement-style introduction to the opening "Till Suns In Your Eye" might announce that "Listening to music while stoned is a whole new world", but this no pastel-shaded chill-out sound: Vadim's production vibrates with sharp, often hilarious detail, absurd sounds and baroque instruments-baritone sax, fingerpicked harp, keening violin-wriggling like maggots through a stable hip-hop framework of beats and breaks. "Ghetto Rebels" throws a surrealist spin on the concept of street-level rhyming, the grind of a pneumatic drill backing Phil Life Cypher's comically childish rebellion rhymes. And on "Taa Fun Aiye", the presence of Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys-here guesting on guitar-is a big Welsh signpost to this record's boundary-bending eclecticism. Despite the fact it leans heavily on an ever-shifting line-up of special guests, The Art of Listening is never over-egged. Quite the opposite, in fact: Vadim has crafted an intelligent and spacious hip-hop album, as streetwise as it is brainy. -Louis Pattison.