Noonday Underground

SELF-ASSEMBLY

(M21)

For Noonday Underground, assembler Simon Dane exchanges the Beatles and Beach Boys melodicism of his former act, Adventures in Stereo, for an altogether different kind of '60s fetishism. It's the rarefied groove of Northern Soul -- an influential British movement with a compulsive obsession for arcane American soul music -- that he prizes, though he's equally taken in by the DIY kitscherama of Fatboy Slim and the tools of his techno trade. Self-Assembly begins with the welcoming "Hello," a classic Stax-style instrumental set opener. "London," the next track, is a powder keg of maximum R&B that deepens the shagadelic '60 carpet with its "London's swinging" refrain. The highlight here is the singing of Daisey Malter, a sophisticated belter in the mold of Dusty Springfield; her performance on "When You Leave" is the finest example of tightened-up, finger-snapping Brit soul since the Jam's "A Town Called Malice." Dane intersperses songs featuring live singers with instrumental groove vignettes, like the Booker T. funk of "Rock Steady," and lounge wallpaper, like "Where Have They Gone," its sampled voices suggesting ghost choirs from forgotten musicals. It all adds up to an exquisite party platter, complete with short, drink-freshening breaks.

-- Patrick Bryant