Roisin Murphy: Ruby Blue

(Herald rating: * * *)

You thought Bjork was mad? You ain't heard nothin' yet. Like this collaboration between former Moloko frontwoman Roisin Murphy, the singer once synonymous with the dance-pop band's cheery single Sing It Back, and Matthew Herbert, a producer known for his unconventional studio work. At times Murphy's husky voice is as smooth as Annie Lennox, at others as sultry as Norah Jones but mostly she sounds like a 1930s jazz singer who has wound up in the year 2050. And it's Herbert's weird, blipped-out beats that send her unusual vocal teetering towards insanity.

Tracks such as Leaving the City showcase his infatuation with twitchy rhythms, skew-whiff samples and exotic instruments (later including harpsichord, muted trumpet and radio alarm). The wobbly beats on Night of the Dancing Flame come on like a herd of galloping elephants, and the kooky Ramalama (Bang Bang), with Murphy's "boing boing" chant, show they don't take themselves too seriously.

While these two misfits often achieve brilliance, some of the white noise is guaranteed to give you a conniption - Murphy squawks on Off On It as though she's in a straitjacket. Aside from the instantly boppy Sow Into You, it's not always easy getting into their jumbled pop groove. But Murphy and Herbert's controlled chaos has catapulted music into the future. And that's gotta count for something.

Label: Echo