*** The Baby Namboos

ANCOATS 2 ZAMBIA

(Durban Poison/Palm Pictures)

Even though this loose crew of British beatheads punctuate their first full-length with seemingly random guffaws and giggles, no one would file this gloomy disc in the comedy racks. No, this dub-heavy debut definitely belongs in the trip-hop bin, with its shifting roster of heavily accented MCs, appearances by Tricky, a remix by Portishead mastermind Geoff Barrow, and idiosyncratic singing by the oddly named chanteuse Aurora Borealis. Aurora wisely sidesteps both the icy stylings of Portishead diva Beth Gibbons and the quirky fits-and-starts of Björk -- instead, her hair-raising voice approaches each phrase with so much pent-up emotion that it's always on the verge of cracking, croaking, or crying. This is a mesmerizing technique -- coupled with her gothic subject matter of depression, ouija boards, and drug addiction -- that demands full attention. Not that she has much competition. The general atmosphere (especially her rhyming running mates) is so blunted that when "Trials and Tribulations" kicks into drum 'n' bass-approved hyperdrive, it's sweet relief.

-- Michael Endelman