The Electones - If You'll Be Null, I'll Be Void

If You’ll Be Null, I’ll Be Void reminds me of a musical version of Grand Designs, with The Electones choosing a picturesque border territory between jazz, folk, and electronica to place their foundations. It’s certainly a well-structured build: jazzy drums and sparse piano provide solid groundwork for tasteful synth embellishments. That’s not to say there aren’t any salient moments; Death With Benefits rumbles under some Max Roach-style stick work, while The Non Sequitur boasts an amazing collision of glitchy trip-hop and banjo. Overall, the album - like a well-designed building - blends modestly into its surroundings, rather than begging for the listener’s attention. Similarly, male and female vocals are used sparingly to add interest, rather than dominating the songs, allowing more exotic instruments, such as the theremin and double bass of The Book of Elsewhere, to tempt the ear. If architecture is just frozen music, then this is the blueprint for a cosy abode.