by Sean Cooper
Kraftwerk with guitars or Trans Am without the schmaltz, To Rococo Rot provide a nice fusion of indie-rock instrumentalism and the more minimal end of armchair techno occupied by Autechre and Freeform. The group manage a near-perfect balance of elements, here, coming off neither retro nor pretentious, reserving the occasionally embarrassing artiness of a Stereolab or Tortoise for the subtlety with which they play electronic and acoustical textures off one another.