The new project of former Mint Chicks frontman and multi-instrumentalist Kody Nielson, Silicon's debut album is perhaps best summed up by its title track, which offers a beguiling combination of elements that are both distant and warm: a metronomic yet light drumbeat, cascades of vocals and wobbly synth bassline set the mood for a masterclass in Nielson's dexterous, assured and adventurous musicality.
And what songs: from the delicate electronica of Cellphone, and the funk-meets-synthpop brio of Submarine to the Stevie Wonder-inspired Burning Sugar, this is from the top shelf.
• Silicon. Personal Computer. Weird World/Universal Music
• Four stars (out of five)
Single download: I Can See Paradise
For those who like: Beck meets Steely Dan
- Shane Gilchrist
