In any event, they favor a gravity-defying bounciness, polyrhythmic and Third Worldish (and New Orleansish) -- which means Moses must be the disc's co-auteur. When they're not being puckish the group offer a kind of exotica that sounds like a modern, hipper version of Ultra Lounge -- the smoky "Just like Alice" and the cryptically titled "11:11" (which runs 5:58) being the main examples. "Dog" consists of punky sound distortions, with the 'bone sounding like guitar; "The Mist" is a ballad with an appealing, far from gloomy melody. But overall, this good clean fun is groove-ridden, upbeat, and brimming with off-the-cuff virtuosity.

-- Richard C. Walls