.The Herbaliser

You can mostly attribute the mod ’60s “Nancy Drew theme song” style of the Herbaliser’s latest disc to the group’s recording process. British DJs Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba composed original jazz licks for the album, blending clanky horn parts with rubber-band basslines and reverbed electric strings. Then they sliced and diced those grooves in a sampler to make loops that sound cribbed from unknown acid jazz bands or pulpy television theme songs. Take London‘s most innovative track, “Generals,” is a militant march punctuated by snare rolls and clamorous Souza-style horns; featuring Trap Clappa, Cheech Marina, Daddy Mills, AK, MacGuyver, and Jean Grae (but sounding like it could just be Jean Grae exhausting her whole repertoire of funny voices), the tune is too tweaked-out and strident to really please the ear, but it still commands your attention. As a matter of fact, Grae is actually the best part of the album: Kicking down her verbal three-card monte on four tracks, this New York-raised femme fatale proves that, eight years after debuting as What What on the Herbaliser’s 1997 joint Blow Your Headphones, she can still take London with flair.