Album Review: ††† - †††

Released without the hype that subsequently took the fun out of Chino Moreno's Team Sleep side project, the Deftones frontman quietly got involved with the similarly minimalist vibes of Far guitarist Shaun Lopez and producer Chuck Doom to release EP † in 2011 with little fuss online. It spread organically; it felt natural. The trio proved what heavy could sound like without a barrage of guitars and hard-hitting drumming. First taste, This Is A Trick, the opening track of ††† (Crosses') eponymous debut long-player that packages EP † and 2012's EP †† with five newbies, draws the uniquely gentle and hostile subtleties of Moreno's vocal across dark synth, fuzzy bass (of Duff McKagan, no less) and percussive rhythms. Bitches Brew epitomises the “beautiful gloom” tag that is so befitting of this project – opposite ends of the sound range are engaged for maximum dramatic effect, though delicate electro structures and flourishes offset the conflicting textures, as does an underlying pop sensibility that soothes, swells and reveals. Elsewhere there are nods to trip hop, '80s rock, electro funk moves, dirty guitar grooves and even a possible club floor moment as The Epilogue blooms into sunny synths and echoing drum pads.

It's a dynamic record, playing with pace, samples, a veritable shit-ton of sounds and most importantly, mood. It's exciting to hear Moreno in this framework, though there are so many intricacies to be discovered in the work of Lopez and Doom that ††† contains a magic even greater than that which each individually accomplished musician brings.