D'Arcangelo - Broken Toys' Corner

Italian siblings Marco and Fabrizio D'arcangelo pick up their aural playthings and step to the plate for the follow-up to their acclaimed 1999 debut, Shipwreck. With the Rephlex roster increasingly distant from their Aphex origins, it's enjoyable to find the brothers D'arcangelo making something of a return to the source, with this sophomore album splashing simple rotating synth loops onto a canvas primarily constructed from rugged loops of rhythm. Though the backing is more often than not a punishing blend of sharp snares and chaotic, low-end plumbing, an emotive equilibrium is maintained through the use of softly sketched slivers of melody. "5005" is atypical of the long-player, with its heavily reverbed beats quartz-locked to thumping punches of sub-bass, finding themselves mellowed by iridescent strings and synth tones which gradually unravel themselves around the groove like a mist. Superb. ~ Kingsley Marshall, All Music Guide