The latest from U.K. drum-and-bass duo Spring Heel Jack mates aggrêssive, low-end rhythms with disturbing instrumental textures; the timbres and sonorities favored here recall soundtrack composers such as Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Hermann and Carl Stalling. When anchored by the pair's beats – imagine a jackhammer with the hiccups – the jarring impact of blasts of brass ("Happy Baby") or the clanks of metal on metal ("Sirens") is compounded. The resulting punch resonates both in the head and in the gut. Even the more tranquil moments ("Bells 2," the minimalist "Galapagos 3") pack eerie surprises that make you sit bolt upright. Their sprightly debut, 68 Million Shades ..., lived up to its ambitious title, but the staggering Busy Curious Thirsty suggests that the spectrum at Spring Heel Jack's disposal is much wider still. (RS 772)

KURT B. REIGHLEY