From New York City by way of Detroit, the duo known as
Downtown -- comprised of Bob Kaeding and Eric Brendo -- fuse elements of modern rock and electronic music with often exhilarating results on its self-titled debut. Helped out by famed producers
Flood and
Alan Moulder (who count
U2,
Depeche Mode and
Nine Inch Nails to their credit), plus one-time
Curve frontwoman
Toni Halliday, the material boasts a blurry, shoegazer feel, but it's steeped in the techno world as well. Lush and melodic, tunes like "Thunderstorm" and the single-worthy "Twilight" are as gripping as they are palatable. If the latter comes off like the
First and Last and Always-era of
the Sisters of Mercy fronted by
Simon Lebon, the more immediate, airwave-ripe vibe of "Nowhere to Hide" asserts the pair's wide range. Things don't always click, however, as the sluggish atmospherics of "Darker Than a Heart" affirm, but most often
Downtown's musical trip is worth taking.