With 2008's self-titled debut featuring an appearance from
Damon Albarn and a future contribution to the Twilight soundtrack, British electro duo
Theo Keating (
Wiseguys) and
Simon Lord (
Simian), aka
the Black Ghosts, appeared poised to overshadow the success of their respective former outfits. But the anticipated commercial breakthrough never happened and the duo spent the subsequent three years releasing material separately under various guises including remixer/DJ
Fake Blood and electro-soul vocalist
Lord Skywave. Fortunately,
Keating and
Lord haven't allowed their lack of chart success to hinder their collaborative spirit, as their second album,
When Animals Stare, is an even more impressive affair, seamlessly blending ambient electronica with
Lord's melancholic vocals and a genre-hopping sensibility to match that of their previous guest star's
Gorillaz. "Water Will Find a Way" fuses rumbling horns with twinkling glockenspiels, doom-laden beats, and an orchestral breakdown that sounds like it's been lifted from a
Gene Kelly musical, "Talk No More" is a self-deprecating slice of scuzzy garage rock featuring a jagged dirty bassline and
Jack White-esque howls, while there are convincing forays into chillout territory with the skittering beats and ethereal synths of "In the Clouds," brooding dubstep on the atmospheric "Sanguinella," and even reggae on the authentic riddims and dubby hooks of "Is That All." The meandering warped-bass space rock of "Aurora Borealis" and the "folktronica" of "Forgetfulness," which owes more than a nod to
Miike Snow's "Animal," suggest the pair ran out of ideas toward the end, but on the whole,
When Animals Stare is a surprisingly understated follow-up whose inventive production ensures that it very rarely drifts into pure background music fodder.