Tussle

San Franciscan four-piece Tussle trounced all of the punk/electro/funk/disco acts in 2004 when they unveiled their dub-influenced organic rhythmic punch on debut album Kling Klang. With a shift in the line-up — bassist Andy Cabic left to join Devendra Banhart, drummer Alexis Georgopoulos filled in, and then Tomo Yasuda eventually took it over — and a guest appearance by heroes Sal Principato and Dennis Young of Liquid Liquid, Telescope Mind finds the instrumental quartet progressing beyond expectations. This time they’ve dug a little deeper into their stash of electronics and outside sources, but only to flesh out their experimental curiosities — this is still as natural as dance music gets these days. The throb of "Warning” immediately establishes just how adept and even stronger the band’s new line-up is, maintaining an untiring rhythm that is stubborn to shift. "Flicker/33.3,” on the other hand, is all about movement, establishing enough funk to conquer a small village, and "Trappings” owes its life to the more commercial side of disco. It’s "Elephants,” however, that stretches their imaginations furthest; moving from radio interference into a tribal gathering of skittering beats, the song amplifies into a showcase for the band’s industrious rhythm section that never relinquishes. Unbelievable. Telescope Mind is an inspired serving of progressive dance music. Anyone with an attention span for relentless but innovative grooves will hold this close to their heart… and feet.