Anthems 4 Androids

Anyone expecting to hear icy robotic beats or cool New Age soundscapes on Zoogma’s sophomore album will find something far more human (and funky). Anthems 4 Androids draws on the Atlanta-based quartet’s Dirty South roots to create (mostly) instrumental music that aims for the body more than the cerebellum. Strains of hip-hop, electronica, jazz, and prog-rock can be detected, rendered with a sense of craft that avoids ambient excess. When the band get spacy—as they do in “Psychohistory” and “War & Other Natural Disasters”—they anchor their excursions in solid, relentless grooves. Angular funk tunes like “Classified” and “Circuitboard” fit comfortably with gliding melodic numbers like “Head in the Sand” and “Dustbin” and heavy guitar-fueled workouts like “Under the Pavement.” Rapper Phantazm stops by to bring a persuasive lyrical flow to the title track's glittering simmer. Those fond of pigeonholing may find Anthems 4 Androids hard to place. Zoogma transcend such concerns with aggressive musicianship, brash sonics, and overall unfettered attitude.