Force Majeure, the second compilation from the Ohio-based 409 collective, literally means "greater force" and refers to legal clauses which cover natural disasters, war, "acts of God" and other unforeseen events. With 22 tracks to indulge the brooding mind, it's a bevy of downtempo vignettes that recast the early Warp milieu with bliphop and jazz-inflected influences.

1. Winter + Nocturne "Colorform"
2. Makeup And Vanity Set "If You Do Not Live You Cannot Die"
3. Masaru "Brendan"
4. Mmodule "Three M Anthem"
5. Winter + Nocturne "Grammar"
6. Merk "Kinetica"
7. Makeup And Vanity Set "How To Love a Piano"
8. ade lun sec "Dragoon"
9. Winter + Nocturne "Rooting Bears"
10. Systm "Barely There"
11. Merk "MTR"
12. Winter + Nocturne "Electric Parade"
13. ade lun sec "Kochiemack"
14. Merk "Levitat"
15. Systm "Kryptozeit"
16. Winter + Nocturne "Vapulear"
17. Makeup And Vanity Set "Aceetalophalus"
18. Mmodule "Untitled"
19. Merk "Transcend"
20. Masaru "Lost Daemon"
21. Makeup And Vanity Set "Sevf.Snd"
22. Yeti Scalp "I Heart The Scalp (secret bonus track)"

This album puts forward a remarkable sonic diversity. Winter + Nocturne kick things off with catchy broken rhythms in "Colorform," which contrasts against Masaru's "Brendan," a spartan melody interplay. Other treats include "Levitat" by Merk, an exploration in dense ambience; Mmodule's "Three M Anthem," a jazz fusion piece featuring bright horns; and "Dragoon," in which Ade Lun Sec intertwines chilled synth echo-and-reverb lines, evocative of early Boards of Canada. Winter + Nocturne then return with "Rooting Bears," laying down relaxed hip-hop beats à la Dabrye. Systm's "Barely There" goes in a different direction, combining classical piano with subtly shifting beats -- alongside "Kryptozeit," it would make fine accompaniment for late night driving trips. But of them all, Makeup And Vanity Set provide the most alluring tracks, blending Speedy J's fuzzy, elegiac beats with the crystalline melodies of Adam Johnson ("If You Do Not Live You Cannot Die," "How to Love A Piano" and "Aceetaphalus"). The end of the album has a special bonus, too -- Yeti Scalp finishes it off with "I Heart The Scalp," spinning female operatic vocals into a frenetic whirl of abstract decomposition.

~ Solsken

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