Pan American – Cloud Room, Glass Room

Billed as an album that was 'written to be played live,' Mark Nelson's umpteenth album under the Pan American moniker makes only small changes to the group's established métier of soporific drift and shimmer. Most noticeable is the addition of fellow Labradford alumnus Bobby Donne, whose restrained basslines underpin many of these tracks; contributing a sense of weight and body whilst simultaneously adding to the cumulative narcotic effect of the music by dint of sheer repetition.

Nelson's fascination with minimal techno still heavily informs the rhythms of the music – with fleet-fingered percussionist Steven Hess giving a supple, understated performance behind his acoustic kit – but the predictable dubby throb of Glass Room at the Airport will have more than a few fans wishing that Nelson had spent a little more time investigating the looser, more organic modes that made 2004's Quiet City such a masterpiece. [Mark Shukla]