With two bass players, a drummer, no singing, a sampler and enough keyboards to make Prince squeal in jealous rage, Ui reeks of the dreaded "post-rock" aesthetic that causes music reviewers to make special note of it. True to form, Lifelike effortlessly blends live endorsement-calibre musicianship with dense studio tomfoolery to summon a sound you would have heard before if this was a world less sullied by shit.

Which is to say that, for the most part, this album was quite good. The first piece, "Drive Until He Sleeps," layers keyboards, clever drums and firm- handshake- making bass playing in with impressive effect. "Spilling" features sampled horns hovering over two dueling bassists. "Molloy March" opens with a swarm- of- bees- shitfreak buzz before bursting into a funky outlay of drums and... bass. It's easy to focus on the talents of skilled chuggers Sasha Frere-Jones and Wilbo Wright, but Ui also demonstrates an appreciation for the texture of sound which is always pleasing when you're sitting there, on your couch, in your skivvies, eating that celery you like so much.

Consistency is Ui's only obstacle. "News to Go Farther" takes the... bass thing to Primus-level anti-funk. The closer "Exehunt" attempts old-school Gastr Del Sol-ish minimalism and isn't entirely successful at pulling it off. For the most part, though, Lifelike is worth its faults. If Ui were to refrain from musical frottage, one gets the feeling they would not have been able to reproduce their best work.

Or something like that.

-Samir Khan