*

Triangle's debut album is an interesting affair. It's full of hooks that are catchy, singsong, and groovy, and alternately (sometimes simultaneously) cold and detached, intent on keeping its distance. Combining elements of drum'n'bass, dub, new wave, and synth pop, the obtusely titled * is Triangle's first broad-based effort in their continuing experiments with the cross-pollination of IDM's unapproachable infrastructure and the standard components of pop music. When they succeed in melding the two seemingly irreconcilable genres — which, more often than not, they do — the results are spectacular; the grooves they lock into on "Mercury" and "8:26 am" are the best examples. For fans of the band familiar with their Peek Meeter EP, the inclusion of its four songs on the LPT comes as a bit of a disappointment, if only for want of entirely new material. For newcomers, * is a great introduction to Triangle's intriguing electro-jangle.