AMON TOBIN Out From Out Where (Ninja Tune)

For the uninitiated (and maybe a majority of the so-called experts), electronic music is one giant puzzle. Without a voice to guide the way, even most hardcore fans probably couldn't name who made the song bumping on the radio. But that's only because Amon Tobin isn't played on the radio. Like a select few before him (DJ Shadow, DJ Krush and others), Amon Tobin has hammered out a signature sound and style; simply, put, there is no mistaking a Tobin release because it sounds, well, like him. Which is why Out From Out Where is more than worth your time: it sounds little like Tobin's previous works, taking the cut-and-paste-and-recombine approach Tobin has already perfected about five more steps into the future. "The Searchers" is a postmodern soundtracking fit for the canonical Western that shares its name, full of morose string snips, random bells and breaking glass, all set to a plodding beat that would make John Wayne get saddle rash. And that's only one song. To cut this short, Tobin (like many of his Ninja Tune mates) has made a name for himself in his circle, but the world is a bigger sphere. And everyone needs to know his name. And his relentlessly inventive music.