One Pound Note

Anyone coming to Westmoreland's debut release expecting the equivalent of the serenely alien glam savage he portrayed in Todd Haynes' film Velvet Goldmine will be surprised, hopefully quite pleasantly. There is at least one point of comparison, though — like his essentially voiceless character in that movie, Westmoreland says not a word on his album, letting his music do all the speaking for him. If his jungle-inspired work isn't necessarily the most distinct or innovative on the block, One Pound Note is still a great blast of fun, blending hyperactive rhythms with a winning mix of theatricality and perverse smoothness. "Go-Kart" is a high point, squiggly synth tones sounding like merry little machines dancing jigs as the beats scatter around the mix, while "People Like to Rock and Roll" adds brief blasts of heavily-processed guitar noise to the mix, ironically making everything sound even more electronic than before! A definite part of the album's charm is his ability to step away from simply using one sped-up hip-hop loop after another. Disco is actually a huge influence, though with a distinct polyrhythmic touch suggesting Miami more than New York or Germany. "Astrakhan" is a particular winner, with alien voices and spookiness playing around with the upbeat groove. "Light From a Different Sun" is a touch slower in comparison to many basic jungle cuts, drawing on a mix of percussion instead of just one track. If nothing else, Westmoreland's work on songs like "Think What You're Doing" and the quite grand "The Road Is a Grey Ribbon," with its booming echoes and electro-inspired funk kicks, suggests a better candidate to score modern James Bond movies than David Arnold. There's just enough drama and just enough modernity — and playfulness — all at once.