I:Cube - Adore

ADORE picks up where I:Cube's previous album, PICNIC ATTACK, left off, but goes deeper. Gone are the disco trappings; instead, they've been replaced with warmer synths and more attention to texture. The title track is an almost beatless ambient journey with a tropical feel to it. "La La La" is funk at its catchiest, while "Le Dub" slows things down to a shuffle. "Tropiq" is like a minimalistic samba. All the house on this album is mostly of the deep kind: "Cash Conv.," "Deep Republic," and "Dans La Piece Vide" throb and pulse with the best of their kind, retaining some feeling. "Basic Bastard" aims more at the dancefloor, but in its own unique fashion. "Pooh Pah" is the standout track, however; it's immediately grabing, with the synths making a fascinating rhythmic counterpoint to the beat. The cut-up vocals help bolster the track's catchiness. A maturation in sound, and an album that lives up to the promise of the first.