Colin Newman – Bastard (swim~)

An aeon after Wire - the seminal '70s guitar outfit - Bruce Gilbert is working with Elastica, but Colin Newman has just released his first solo album in over ten years and is mixing a new, melodic approach to drum & bass and elctronica. 'Sticky' is where it all starts - an edgy, beat-driven wind-down of a track that calms the listener, rather than prepare them for anything that might lay in store. Tracks such as 'May' show just what a boost being an accomplished guitarist can be when it comes to making cutting edge '90s trip-hop. Whereas the first obviously jungle-inspired piece 'Slowfast' (naturally subtitled 'Falling down the stairs with a drum kit'!) is a little naive and best avoided, 'Spiked' adds a funky live bass and drums to for a serious new angle on the genre. But Newman excels in tracks such as 'Without', which continue the thoughtful strands started earlier in the album. While it's easy to spot musical similarities with the artist's other projects - Immersion, wife Malka Spigel and his own Swim~ label being the main ones - this LP does achieve a logical progression. You can chill out and hear an evolution taking place. And the album title is certainly memorable, but how many people will have the nerve to ask for it at the record shop counter? 8/10