Plugged In

Spring Heel Jack
68 Million Shades
(Trade 2/Island, 1996)

If anyone can break drum-and-bass music in America, it's Spring Heel Jack's Coxon and Wales. After all, 68 Million Shades exhibits enough rhythm fluxes to satisfy purists even as it demonstrates more traditional songwriting virtues. "Take 1" and "Roger Tessier," to name only two, shine with the spirit of early techno and Eighties electro without simply mimicking these styles. Like most jungle-music practitioners, Coxon and Wales generally eschew vocals, but they compensate with rhythmic bursts and keyboard spreads that are almost as entertaining as the wailing vocals of house-music divas (and considerably less grating over the long haul). This still may not be enough to convince rock fans to take a chance on Spring Heel Jack. But then again, remaining in the underground may turn out to be the duo's saving grace.

Tricky
Maxinquaye
(Island, 1995)

Tricky is to Massive Attack what Bjsrk was to the Sugarcubes: a bandmember who soon outclassed the band. Maxinquaye was his coming-out party, a radical aural feast overflowing with intense lyrics, indelible vocalizing, adventurous songwriting and production that codified trip-hop. Tricky is not infallible; he experienced a sophomore slump with Nearly God, a poorly conceived effort overloaded with appearances by famous pop stars eager to bask in his glow. However, last year's Pre-Millennium Tension almost made up for this stumble, suggesting that Tricky may actually be able to live up to his overheated press. With luck, electronica may be able to do the same.