Riffs

From the Planet Mu label you usually expect some kind of electronica, often of the dubstep variety. This release comes at you from a completely different direction. A duo (obviously) comprised of Alan O'Boyle (guitars, electronics, vibraphone) and David Lacey (drums, percussion), Legion of Two produce a sound that starts with organic sources and then twists them in sporadically interesting ways. After a texturally intriguing but otherwise rather monotonous opening track, "And Now We Wait" opens up the sonic palette dramatically as the landscape created by the pair's drums and distorted guitar is dotted with electronic effects. "Palace (Dub)" is not dub — it consists of about five notes and maybe two chords (depending on how you count), and wears out its welcome long before it ends after nearly 11 minutes. "Legion of Two" doesn't really go anywhere or do anything — it mostly sits in place and mutters like an angry toad before giving way to the much more interesting "Turning Point," which sounds like a folded, spindled, and mutilated version of 1980s electro-pop. As the album draws to a close it becomes steadily more interesting: "Handling Noise" is monotonous, but in a more open and enjoyable way, and both "It Really Does Take Time" and "Cast Out Your Demons" build huge, beautiful sonic spaces and populate them with a pleasing variety of musical ideas. An entire album like those last three tracks would have been a clear keeper.