** Morcheeba

WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

(Discovery)

Morcheeba promise much but don't quite deliver. Although the band boast influences ranging from classical to trip-hop, the ideas don't always jell. The trance beat that prevails tires out, as do the simplistic bass lines. The aura of mystery in the first track, "Moog Island," becomes plain boring by the time you get to cut 11, "Almost Done." Morcheeba dress up the monotonous beat with industrial sounds, string quartets, muted trumpets, and even a blues lap steel, but the experiments do not develop in the music; rather, they are mixed in as sound effects.

"Trigger Hippie" and "Never an Easy Way" do allow Skye Edwards's sultry vocalizations to play off Ross Godfrey's guitar. The scratching and stylized percussive effects work well too. Some of the interludes are especially effective, such as the trancelike "Post Houmous." The classical study "Col" highlights Edwards's beautiful voice. It's reminiscent of the Pizzicato Five, but this band also have the moody vision of MC 900ft. Jesus -- without the energy of either group.

-- Craig Thorn

(Morcheeba play Avalon next Friday, April 11, with Fiona Apple. Call 262-2424.)