*** The Grassy Knoll

POSITIVE

(Verve)

Ever since sampling became an accepted medium for creating new music, past and present have collided head-on and somehow emerged the better for it. The Grassy Knoll owes its sound to both that undefinable monster "acid jazz" and the organic dancehall of Meat Beat Manifesto and Tricky. These days, purity of sound is measured by the deliberate placement of sampled and processed noise for emotional value, rather than slick, sugary production.

Positive is filled not only with record surface hiss but with backward strings, weird voices, and beats that simmer in a stew of low grind. Trumpet, saxophone, and fuzz-fusion guitar paint simple Miles-ian melodies over this dense background, while the bass remains hidden in the groove, a subliminal throb. The Grassy Knoll integrates and assimilates all the pieces perfectly, combining eclectic samples and stunning improvisation to make a seamless whole.

-- Jonathan Follett