SNEAKER PIMPS - Becoming X (Sealed) (2LP)

180g. Becoming X is one of the most engaging by products of post-Portishead trip-hop. While the Sneaker Pimps don't have the doomed romanticism of Portishead or the nasty experimental tendencies of Tricky, they have a cool sense of pop hooks and an edgier guitar attack than their predecessors. "Tesko Suicide" moves along with jagged guitars and rhythms, while "6 Underground" is coolly detached postmodern soul. Becoming X creates an airy, urban atmosphere, and while the record begins to unravel toward the end, it is an exciting, entrancing listen.