Leftfield: Rhythm and Stealth

The heartbeat quiets

When Leftfield released their debut Leftism in 1995, what set it apart from every other house record on the block was its commitment to the appropriation of other music through textures and sampling. It sounded an accessible pulse through African rhythms, varying beats, and worldly taste.

With Rhythm and Stealth, Leftfield spent four years trying to recreate the same revolution, but the results aren't as bold. The album is full of fine rhythms that would spread on a dancefloor like West African encephalitis, but the flow of the album is unpredictable. On Rhythm and Stealth, Leftfield has a way of switching from a racing heartbeat on one track to a more meditative pulse on the next. With a history of fine trance-oriented tunes, Leftfield should be equipped to make this concept work; after all, "A Final Hit" broke up the space on the Trainspotting soundtrack neatly.

So if they know how to do mellow but not dull, why doesn't it translate less jarringly here? Within the space of the album's first tracks, they move from looting the Chemical Brothers' ship on the solidly fun "Phat Planet" to kitschy redundancy without a groove on "Chant of the Poor Man." As a random sample of album tracks, you could negotiate that you win on two out of three. But place yourself at the party—do you really want to stand around for six minutes between dance tracks? That said, there are plenty of mellow tracks on the album, even if they are juxtaposed with sophisticated party fare. "El Cid" and "Dub Gussett" develop a less dramatic rhythm, but don't overstay their welcome. But even if the movement from pounding dance tracks to mellow soundscapes is a source of variety, you still have to contend with the boringly millennium-obsessed Afrika Bambaataa on "Afrika Shox." On the last album they invited fruitloops like Bambaataa and even John Lydon along to contribute hypnotic verse, but against that album's more worldly sampling, it was witty and innovative; this time around, the vocals slow the already meandering pace.

Still, few tracks are bad; most are excellent and unique. In the end, the album is a fine experiment in pacing and rhythm, even if its greatness is stealthier than the first time around. (Columbia)

—Sara Edward-Corbett

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