Gus Gus, This Is Normal (4AD/WB) 9-
One would think a multi-talented nine-member artist collective founded by Icelandic filmmakers Stefan Ami and Siggi Kjartansson would have an ambitious agenda to take over the pop world. Instead, Gus Gus have focused on a singularly overused sub-genre often referred to as "trip-hop." Lacking the world-weary intensity of Massive Attack or the affecting blues of Portishead, Gus Gus mined a lighter-hearted take on their debut Polydistortion that was more precious than precocious. Their follow-up is an improvement, or at least a refinement, featuring the catchy single "Ladyshave" and "Teenage Sensation," laced by Hafdis Huld's pleasantly breathy voice. It's basically a half-step above the run-of-the-mill second generation trip-hop. Ocassionally, songs like the strings-and-Mercury Rev "Bambi" leap from the pack and show that they could be so much more, following the footsteps of fellow Reykjavik native Bjork.
