Kindred

The Kindred EP features two 12-minute cuts, both of which play out like cunningly paced suites rather than bloated tracks extended just for the sake of it. Within 90 seconds, "Kindred" stammers, grounds to a halt, and recharges, whisking the listener away for a suspenseful sequence that moves from one dank nocturnal corridor to another. "Ashtray Wasp" is rustling garage coated in swirls of textures and volleyed vocal samples ("I want you," "I need you," "No, no, no," wounded melisma). Just before the eight-minute mark, it shifts gears, closing with an elegiac sound collage. "Loner," the in-between track, is rapid by Burial's standard, a hurtling escape scene for a being with a freshly crushed spirit. ~ Andy Kellman