Teargas and Plateglass

Teargas and Plateglass have been together since 2001, starting their careers out through remixes of other artists’ work. This self-titled album marks their first full-length release. The disc features special appearances by friends and fellow artists Lil Gong, Oba Funke, Zap Mama and Natacha Atlas. Each adds greatly to the eclectic presence on the album with shadowy sounds spanning from trip-hop to ethereal music. "A Book of Black Valentines” kicks off the disc and offers the first evidence of brilliantly dark dub music. As the album progresses, it becomes evident that there are a bare minimum of vocals here. The group relies heavily on their use of synth and their mixing abilities. A remix of "Adam’s Lullaby” however, finds Natacha Atlas’ haunting vocals becoming a highlight of the album. In general, this is a varied sound — a little eerie and a little grim, but respectively so. All tracks are mixed well here and the final product is a solid release. Nevertheless, it seems that for all their efforts, this disc is simply missing that extra somethin’ somethin’ that turns a great efforts into genius.