Record Rack

Trip-hop is a strange and nebulous genre--think of the smoky, electronic-based sounds of Portishead and Tricky. The Baby Namboos collective is equally immersed in noir culture, with some frenetic hip-hop beats injected into the mix. Led by Mark Porter (a cousin of Tricky, who also appears here), the Baby Namboos ride dark layers of modern rhythm and the sultry vocals of Aurora Borealis. Hypnotic and memorable.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.