In the Moment

Kaskade's second artist album is a surprisingly complex and thoroughly winning kaleidoscope of soulful flavors, some of them (like the leadoff single, "Steppin' Out") built on acoustic sounds and others with a more typical house or funk foundation. What makes the album's sound so unique and complex is that its predominant voices are those of real-world analog instruments instead of synthesized imitations. The rich string section that accompanies the pumping bass and stutter-step breakbeat on "Maybe" gives the whole track an organic warmth that you don't usually hear on a DJ album — and when Kaskade warps the string sound into a queasy sonic mess, the result is all the more effective because the strings were such an integral part of the song's texture up until that point. The album's best moment comes on a complex, dub-inflected little piece of splintered trip-hop called "Sweet Love," which features a singer named Joslyn, who is responsible for a couple of other high points on the program as well. There's loverman soul courtesy of Rob Wannamaker ("One You" and the jazzy "Let You Go"), and even something that sounds strangely like a tribute to New Order (Andy Caldwell's "Everything"). Only the plodding "Yeah Right" leaves something to be desired on this excellent collection.