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Herald Rating: * * * *
Concord Dawn aren't the only local d'n'b maestros reared on metal. The Upbeats, aka Jeremy Glenn and Dylan Jones, have an intensity that could only come from appreciating the darker things in life. Aesthetically, that explains the detailed gothic fairy tales and artwork on the album sleeve; musically it explains curmudgeonly tracks like Tonka, with the Darth Vader vocals of Ryme Tyme demanding "no remorse, no surrender".
Unlike the Dawn, the Upbeats won't be welcoming in the New Year with any thundering party anthems. Their sound is better suited to the wee hours when rhythmic certainty ceases to matter.
When they're not getting stuck in on the deep, driving depths of Black Swarm or The Stars, they're big on ambience. Thinking Cap with the Beth Orton-like Georgie has ghostly oboes, Grains suggests Boards of Canada, before bass slices through the ice, and Girl Gone is the Upbeats at their dreamy best - all wistful vocals, gentle guitars and just a whiff of danger.
Nobody's Out There could have benefited from a few less tweaks in the rhythm department but thanks to this duo's willingness to push d'n'b in an artful new direction, at least the future of the genre is in good hands.
Label: Rhythm Method
Verdict: Eerie second album from Wellington's dark lords of drum'n'bass
