Future This 4AD**

Fans of the epic electro-tinged rock sound peddled by The Big Pink on their 2009 debut may have been alarmed by Milo Cordell's assertion (later retracted) that the duo were planning a hip-hop record. That direction would have been either brave or foolish, but the Londoners' forte indisputably lies in meandering layers, swirling verses and booming choruses. Opener Stay Goldfaintly echoes breakthrough hit Dominos, while The Palaceand 13take on Animal Collective- style experimentation, their iridescent riffs stitched together by offbeat drum machine thuds. So far, so good, but it's the album's latter half that thwarts proceedings. Jump Musicand Lose Your Mind, in particular, sound like dated, hollow homages to 1980s Depeche Mode and Duran Duran, confirming that the future doesn't always sound like progress. See musicfromthe bigpink.com

Download tracks: Give It Up, The Palace