Calling Swollen yet another slice of post-jungle semi-IDM techno might seem a bit harsh -- but then again, that's pretty much what it is. If already fairly generic for its time and place, the duo making up Finger at least knew how to make everything sound enjoyable, if not truly notable, and sometimes that's all one needs. With everything from the expected nods and samples of acoustic jazz bass and deep dub crawls to sudden, abbreviated drum clatters and crackly samples of old string sections, the opening "Third Eye Remix" pretty well sets the tone for what will come. If everybody from Sabres of Paradise and Goldie to Massive Attack and Lamb had already been down these roads, Finger was an enthusiastic enough follower. With nothing to specifically contribute besides finding a balance between frenetic activity and too soporific tastefulness -- a balance which, to their credit, the duo maintains throughout, making it their greatest strength -- Finger, over nine songs, creates listening that's good enough for both a hip bar and late-night net coding. The various spy movie music tones and touches aren't going to have Portishead looking worried anytime soon (should they ever finally come back); they're used well enough here, there's just very little to say about them. Where the band most fully comes alive is in combining things just right -- thus the stentorian alarm-drone mixing with the crisp breakbeats on "Done" and the various classic video-game samples on the appropriately entitled "Bloop." Beyond that, there's little to be said about this album except the fact that it's there. ~ Ned Raggett|

Rovi