Disappeared

Alternative Press - 4 out of 5 - "...A cut above 90% of today's electronica....neatly balancing amorphous tonal explorations with chamber-jazz and groovy spy-flick vibes..." CMJ - "...Brittle instrumental tracks driven by hard, distorted bass rhythms and whipcrack snare samples..." Q - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Challenging but good." Uncut - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Thoughful, raw, and genuinely innovative....A sound that is superficially drum'n'bass, but capable of devouring any influence it damn well likes..." NME - 7 out of 10 - "...Stealthy innovation and breathless compendium of sounds, amounting to a kind of avant-garde 'musique concrete'..." Q (9/00, p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Challenging but good." Uncut (10/00, p.90) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Thoughful, raw, and genuinely innovative....A sound that is superficially drum'n'bass, but capable of devouring any influence it damn well likes..." Alternative Press (10/00, p.109) - 4 out of 5 - "...A cut above 90% of today's electronica....neatly balancing amorphous tonal explorations with chamber-jazz and groovy spy-flick vibes..." CMJ (9/11/00, p.26) - "...Brittle instrumental tracks driven by hard, distorted bass rhythms and whipcrack snare samples..." NME (8/19/00, p.35) - 7 out of 10 - "...Stealthy innovation and breathless compendium of sounds, amounting to a kind of avant-garde 'musique concrete'..."

Spring Heel Jack's seventh album starts out with one of the catchiest things they've ever done; the infectious "Rachel Point". It's got a driving groove that just gets under your skin in the right kind of way; it's so good that it almost stops you from digging deeper into this disc for the rest of its treasures. And yes, there's gold in them thar hills.
Plainly more accessible than their previous ODDITIES, this disc still has Spring Heel Jack's trademark love of dense textures and all things outre. With John Surman on bass clarinet, the band comes across like Jon Hassel and Josef Zawinul playing Gershwin. Spring Heel Jack use a little more distortion in their sound here than on previous discs, which gives much of the disc a thick, urgent sound. With some great track sequencing and segues, DISAPPEARED is irresistible.|