3 out of 5

Label: Rephlex

Produced by: D’Arcangelo

I’m missing their first album and the Pro EP, but my impressions of the brothers D’Arcangelo from the two discs I own – Shipwreck and Broken Toys’ Corner – are positive ones: icy beats that morph into organic grooves before settling back into a chilly vibe.  The group seems to excel (yes, the name of the album, though the artwork suggests it’s XL) when sticking to the darkness, and it’s those moments where Eksel succeeds: opener Empty Freezer starts with the subtlest of bass notes and slowly slides into a sneaky groove; Inside is contemplative, muted swooshes, very Global Goon; penultimate Nadine has On-era Aphex keys with skittering, complicated drum arrangements that abound all about the disc.  And there are songs equally able at tearing it up, IDM style: The Asker actually gets a little disco-y; early track Stepping Out puts on a grime attitude.  And there is a theme flitting around throughout the album, isolated for the ambient final track Distant Sound of Nothing More, making it easier to spot the next few times through the disc, but Eksel is still somehow lacking a sense of cohesion.  A lot of tracks (Elix, A Grey Sunday) seem like they’re building to something but after tossing a couple tricks onto the main beat, give up that feeling, and the desirable chill of that opening track definitely returns, but not in a way that tells us a story: in between we get tracks that occasionally feel like experiments (Ternat’s got a cool beat but not much more) or, most often, something that feels well composed but uninspired, the electronica version of filler.  Which is too bad, because the percussion is so frightfully cool and distancing (in a good way) that you wish the songs supported it better.

You’ll bob your head, and about a third of the disc are definite highlights, but much of Eksel is content not over-achieving; happy to be background music.