Automato – Automato

Just when it seems there’s nothing new under the hip-hop sun, artists inevitably emerge—in both the mainstream (OutKast, Black Eyed Peas) and on the fringes where you’ll find NYC-based group Automato—reminding us the field remains wide open for innovation. With a pair of emcees and a four-piece band echoing everything from Talking Heads and Brian Eno to Wu-Tang Clan, Automato deftly bridges the gap between downtown-New York experimentalism and dance-floor accessibility. The blips and beeps on “My Casio” belie the percolating bass bubbling underneath, while “The Single” weaves keys, guitar and thumb piano into a swinging, sing-song chorus. And this just scratches the surface of an album that reveals more delights with each listen.