Anyone familiar with To Rococo Rot and I-Sound separately would have been hard-pressed to predict their collaboration on one track of To Rococo Rot's terrific 1999 album, The Amateur View. New York-based turntablist Craig Willingham-- who's released music under the aliases I-Sound and Jah Vengeance, and whose imprint, Full Watts, specializes in dub with violent electronics-- isn't exactly the most likely compliment to the German trio's understated electro-acoustic chill-out music. For instance: Bloodclaat Gangsta Youth's Full Watts seven-inch, "Kill or Be Killed," could destroy a two-ton iron cube if played at 71% volume. To Rococo Rot-- assuming you have an absolutely mediocre stereo system-- would just be annoying at those levels.

Despite the apparent artistic differences, the partnership that was initiated when I-Sound DJ'd at a To Rococo Rot show in New York show produced "A Little Asphalt Here and There," a standout track on The Amateur View. Willingham's skipping record needle added some dirt to the band's often squeaky-clean production. Apparently, all parties were satisfied, as the association produced a track for a compilation curated by Pole, and now, a 13-track album.

Music is a Hungry Ghost differs in quite a few ways from previous To Rococo Rot outings. You could say it's as different from The Amateur View as that was from 1997's Veiculo. Fortunately, it represents a marked progression. While the songs are still largely constructed from very short loops, the album offers denser layering and an increased amount of sonic minutia. Subtle compositional elements either creep at the lower amplitudes or appear in seemingly random instances.

Perhaps as a direct result of I-Sound's presence, Music is a Hungry Ghost is a looser, more abstract affair than previous efforts. The sequencer seems to be the most important piece of equipment in their cache. The grainy sound of the turntable and the fact that it's played in real time makes the record feel more open and vibrant on tracks like "Mazda in the Mist" and "Your Secrets, a Few Words." At this juncture, I should point out that I-Sound's contribution as a turntablist isn't DJ Skribble-flash. His style is more reminiscent of someone like Otomo Yoshilde, who simply uses the sounds of the turntable itself. Here, the instrument is primarily implemented as a textural device.

The songs on Music is a Hungry Ghost, on the whole, are darker and more deliberately paced than those on The Amateur View. The combination of abstract electronic composition and primitive electro-pop underpinnings with live instrumentation that make To Rococo Rot such an appealing act is still there. But the abstract has edged closer to pop territory, and Cluster-esque head-bobbers like "Cars" are nowhere to be found. These tracks tend to unfold in a more patient manner, giving each idea more time to soak in and become familiar before the next is introduced.

Where the calculated grooves of The Amateur View had an aura of warmth, similar instances on the new album don't feel quite so cheery. The production is as lush as ever, but the sentiment has changed. I-Sound describes Hungry Ghost as "a bit somber in a vintage 4AD way." A pretty appropriate summation, if you ask me.

The album isn't without its lighter moments, though. Two tracks, "From Dream to Daylight" and "Along the Route," boast some pretty violin, courtesy of Alexander Balenescu. The band also haven't lost their sense of humor. "Koku" is a huge tease. At 39 seconds long, it builds from skittering pulses. Just as the first deep, beautiful bass guitar chord is plucked, the song ends, leaving you with aural blueballs.

One other noteworthy attribute of Music is a Hungry Ghost is the absolute lack of any German-- aside from proper names-- in the song titles and liner notes. Veiculo contained no less than three song titles auf deutsche, and The Amateur View had two. Not to mention the paragraph in the sleeve notes. In light of this, it seems as though the less German present in To Rococo Rot packaging, the better the release. Or maybe it's the more I-Sound, the better. I tend to favor the latter explanation and look forward to ongoing collaborations from this unlikely team, with the knowledge that they'll continue to improve at a similar rate.

-Michael Wartenbe