When purchasing a release from the Mego label, there are certain universal attributes that might as well be taken for granted. Despite the imprint's highly diverse catalog-- be it Pita's endurance test of an album, Seven Tons for Free, or DJ DSL's hip-hop ode to Austrian footballer Anton "Toni" Polster-- one thing remains constant among all their releases: if you ride down the street with open windows pumping them from your sound system, bystanders will want you committed.

Regardless of structure or genre, the Mego production is some of the most erudite and articulate in recorded music. It's apparent that their artists love the infinite possibilities of sound, and as a result, no sonic detail is left unexamined, unedited or unexploited. With their second effort, TG 11, the Viennese trio Radian perpetuates both of the above stereotypes while avoiding the sophomore slump that's all too common among obscure electronic acts.

In a recent review of the latest U.S. Maple record, a critic from another publication described Al Johnson's vocal delivery as "all tension and no release." That phrase is apposite in summarizing most of TG 11 as well. Tracks consist of progressively layered digital timbres, sub-bass drones and propellant cadences that build in intensity without reaching expected climaxes. This keeps things exciting.

Take the opener, "Ucotherm." Sustained pitches hum at the high and low extremes of audibility under a static backbone. The trap kit, one of the most flawlessly recorded in recent memory, starts from a metronomic rim hit that gradually elaborates upon itself until it takes over propulsive duties. A lower-than-low bass guitar tone enters the mix-- the final element before the projected culmination, at which point everything sputters out and begins anew. It's the epitome of what an opening track should be.

The mention of instrumentation in that illustration leads me to one of the remarkable things about Radian. Unlike many of their genre contemporaries, Radian actually play instruments, not laptops. Without looking at the album credits, one would never assume that, aside from the drums, these sounds were created with actual human touch. But at the same time, the record is too organic sounding for it to be computerized. The ambiguity created through the asking of questions like "digital or analog?" and "actual or artificial?" only add to the tension aesthetic.

The album's closer, "I/E," features vibes that are altered and filtered so as to sound only vaguely like their recognizable resonance. The track includes one of the only familiar western chord structures on the album, but this is no Chicago-style cool-jazz riff. It would be wrong to expect something that obvious from Radian. The track is serene but not wholly pleasant, a perfect closing impression.

On the whole, TG 11 is a rather homogenous affair. Tracks stand out from one another, but there are no significant stylistic disparities between any of them. No discernible melodies are present at any point here, but that doesn't take away from the record's accessibility for the most part, unless you absolutely require hooks to enjoy music.

For all of its positive aspects, though, some shortcomings are present on TG 11. At times, like many comparable recordings, it wavers on the brink of listenability. "Sinus 440" sounds like an EBS test signal with a backbeat, and it lasts for five minutes. The beginning of "Kadjet" is microsound in the most derogatory definition of the term. TG 11 is not a record that can be appreciated through a casual listen, either. It requires strict attention. And if you let the music sit in the room at the edge of your consciousness while you're doing other things, it will likely drive you nuts.

It would be easy to pigeonhole Radian into any of the numerous movements or subgenres that exist on the more obtuse side of electronic music, though they fit into all and none of them. As the press release states: "One could apply all of the snappy catch phrases of late onto this (glitch, microsound, lowercase, a click and even a cut if you must) but let's just leave it as: 100% Radian music without any dodgy remixes tacked onto the end."

Thrill Jockey Records claim that Radian are making an expedition across the Atlantic to Chicago this summer. They're going to the famous Soma Studios to have audio-sophist John McEntire record them for an imminent Thrill Jockey release. Sounds promising. And to top it all off, you can be guaranteed relatively easy access to it here in the U.S. What could be better?

-Michael Wartenbe