It’s been a long time out in the wilderness for Bomb The Bass’ Tim Simenon; after his 1995 Clear album and its accompanying breakout single Bug Powder Dust featuring One Inch Punch’s Justin Warfield, he virtually disappeared for the next decade, emerging only with the odd sporadic remix, production duties for Sinead O’Connor and Depeche Mode, and studio collaborations with Meat Beat Manifesto’s Jack Dangers. Thirteen years on from the release of Clear, this latest album Future Chaos represents Simenon’s comeback as Bomb The Bass, and during the interim, there have certainly been some significant stylistic changes afoot.

Indeed, the nine tracks collected here are pretty much bereft of the hip hop elements that have been a core part of Bomb The Bass’ established signature, the grimy triphop/dub influences in evidence on Clear replaced by a subtle, gliding electro-pop template that’s more akin to Junior Boys and Fujiya & Miyagi. Indeed, opening track Smog most closely recalls the streamlined isolation of Thom Yorke’s Eraser, with co-producer Paul Conboy contributing a plaintive indie-pop vocal that nicely intersects with the hypnotic krautrock rhythms and woozy synth squelches.

While Conboy occupies the vocal spot on no less than five tracks here, offering up a particularly highlight on the narcotised Butterfingers as eerie arcade game bleeps slide around Fujiya & Miyagi’s Kraftwerkian beat programming and zapping rhythmic pulses, Simenon’s penchant for selecting guest spots from some of the more unexpected ends of the musical spectrum remains firmly intact here. Red Snapper affiliate Toob makes a notable appearance on the closest thing to an uptempo, dancefloor-friendly track here, contributing a Brixton vocal edge to Burn The Bunker as fluttering electro-breaks rhythms ride a surging backdrop of sub-bass swells, while former Mudhoney frontman and QOTSA affiliate Mark Lanegan manages to contribute one of this record’s absolute highlights on Black River, his rich, blues-inflected croon beautifully merges with shimmering guitar and synth textures on a track that curiously calls to mind mid-nineties U2.

While Bomb The Bass’ loyal fanbase may be left slightly bemused by the radical change in approach, Future Chaos still easily represents one of the more impressive downbeat electronic pop albums to emerge during 2008.

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