The latest releases reviewed

STUDIO
Yearbook 2
Information
***
It's difficult to resist the spell cast by Swedish producers Dan Lissvik and Rasmus Hagg. On Yearbook 1, last year's compilation of their West Coast and No Comply releases, they gave a dashing display of widescreen grand-standing with a sound that was all about late nights merging with early mornings. This collection of remixes is more of the band's mesmeric trademark sound with plenty of baggy fabric, new Balearic soul and cosmic skydiving, although you get the feeling that the pair would probably have done a whole lot better with more striking source material. Nevertheless, they inject just enough dreamy grooves and throbbing hypnotic rhythms into tracks from such Swedish acts as The Shout Out Louds and Love Is All or Kylie's 2 Heartsto make the listener purr with contentment. An acceptable stop-gap until the second album of Studio material arrives in 2009.  www.inf000.com
JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: Shout Out Louds, Impossible; Kylie, 2 Hearts

HIGH PLACES
03/07-09/07
Thrill Jockey
***
Brooklyn duo Rob Barber and Mary Pearson (a classically trained bassoon player, trivia fans) feature prominently in the blog-lines of late. Their mixture of eerie, disjointed soundscapes and sweet vocals make for an engaging, sometimes clattering and occasionally surreal sound. As with many other acts taking tentative baby steps, most of the High Places canon to date can be found scattered on a multitude of singles and compilations, so 03/07-09/07does a good job of gathering up these loose ends. What the album lacks in cohesion it makes up for in spirited experimentation and good ideas. Head Spinsmay be almost tropical thanks to those steel drums, but the duo deconstruct it into a dubby slice of darkside pop. By comparison, Jump Inis a colourful slab of avant-garde pop that will have you dancing in circles. Their best, though, may yet be to come.  www.myspace.com/hellohighplaces
JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: Head Spins, Jump In