Album: Faithless

The press release to Faithless's fifth album makes great show of how much their hits compilation Forever Faithless outsold the comparable collections by peers such as Basement Jaxx, Fatboy Slim, Underworld, Prodigy and Chemical Brothers. But as To All New Arrivals makes clear, they didn't get to be that big by taking chances. It may be the recent parental responsibilities of both Rollo and Sister Bliss that have eradicated the club anthems of previous albums, but the more chilled sound here points to an equally profitable alternative in what could be called prog-house. In particular, the cycling sequencer keyboards and spoken-word samples of "I Hope" irresistibly bring to mind Dark Side Of The Moon, while another Pink Floydian trope can be discerned in the ticking clock that opens the following track "Last This Day", before Dido lulls one to sleep. Elsewhere, the Phil Collins-y texture of One Eskimo's voice lends "Hope & Glory" a distinct Genesis feel. Ultimately, it all grinds to a horrible halt with "Emergency", which is just tedious jazz-funk noodling treated to a brisker tempo. Dull but durable, then.

DOWNLOAD THIS: 'I Hope', 'A Kind Of Peace'