V/A - Kitsune Maison Compilation 4

Gildas Loa"c's hip brainchild, the indomitable Kitsune, bites back with more of the modish electro gems which have so far defined the cutting edge of the rock-rave zeitgeist. Kitsune Four advances the ethos of Kitsune Three, where "the idea was to have a more commercial selection," according to Loa"c. From Darkel's tantric Be My Friend with a melodic keyboard building the pacey drama, to Riot In Belgium's genuinely euphoric nod to old school house and Passions' spiralling synth fireworks, it is evident that the rave-to-rock ratio has trebled since then. There is, of course, a notable debt to Daft Punk for the splintering electro-groove which anchors all the best tracks in some form or other, a common theme which slightly shuns the more indie tracks by Bloc Party's little brothers Foals, and Hadouken!: both might have sounded more at home on the former compilation. [Rosie McLean]