Metaphor

Larkin's second full-length arguably betters his debut, charting much of the distinctive geography found on Azimuth. The highlights here, including the title track plus "Nocturnal" and "Loop 1," use the same whirling space-funk and haunted-synth techno from Azimuth, with a better attention to his 808 programming. What lifts Metaphor above its predecessor comes with its detours, into beatless territory with "Java" and the dense looped techno reminiscent of his Dark Comedy alias on "Catatonic (First State)." ~ John Bush