There's much to like in this dreamy full-length debut by multi-instrumentalist Alex McGowan and vocalist Regina Dannhof. Maybe it's McGowan's moody bass lines and buttery trip-hop atmospheres. Or maybe it's Dannhof's anesthetizing voice, which moves from moan to coo to whisper and back again. Put simply, the Starseeds make trip-hop of the Portishead-Hooverphonic-Sneaker Pimps variety, only they do it very quietly, like the Cocteau Twins on Quaaludes. There's a spacy, ambient aesthetic at work on Parallel Life that eschews pop hooks in favor of a smooth-textured, almost narcoleptic flow--and that's a compliment. Dannhof has a wonderfully ethereal voice that floats above McGowan's softly burbling synths and languid beats on such standouts as the title track, the very pretty "Behind the Sun," and the more densely mixed "Heavensairportcoffeeshoprestaurant." For most, Parallel Life will seem like a relaxing disc of the chill-out kind, but, with its hidden treasures of sound, it's one that will also reward deep listeners. --Steve Landau