ATELEIA, Benjamin Curtis

Table of the Elements continues to celebrate its 15th anniversary with the second installment in its Guitar Series. On 'Baghdad Batterie', Ateleia and Benjamin Curtis fuse splendidly, as perfectly synchronized audio alchemists, and when they dip their axes in a vat of liquid soundscaping, the transmutation is complete: thick, glistening beats throb and undulate, without a tell-tale twang in sight. Baghdad Batterie is a fabulous piece of laptop psychedelia, and certain to delight fans of Curtis and Elliott's previous collaboration, the exhilarating School of Seven Bells EP, Face to Face on High Places.

The packaging of this vinyl-only release is similarly spectacular. It's a one-sided, 12-inch LP, pressed on clear vinyl; the reverse is laser etched with an original illustration by acclaimed UK artist Savage Pencil, whose credits include album art for The Fall, Big Black, and Sonic Youth. It's a limited-edition pressing, so get it while you can - disks from the label's original Guitar Series in 1993/1994 are now some of Collectorville's must coveted treasures...