Impossible World

Japanese Version featuring Bonus Tracks.

You have to hand it to Combustible Edison. Obviously aware that the zoot suit and martini fad is winding its way down, the Rhode Island-based five-piece has slightly revamped its sound. Could it be...electronica? Not quite. The carbons of cocktail cacophony have subsided, and their old sound is now a departure point for headier potions that incorporate--you got it--keyboards and samples, but this hardly sounds like Madonna's Ray of Light. Tracks like "Utopia" and the pulsating "Laura's Aura" benefit from the electronic tweaking of producers John Holbrook and Scanner; their subtle new-meets-old approach glides in under Miss Lily Banquette's vocals and keeps the mix buoyant. On other tracks, such as "Mr. Pushkin Came to Shove," CE take a straight-jazz tack to impressively solid results. The Impossible World is proof that Combustible Edison have slipped free of the novelty noose and made strides toward new possibilities in old sounds. --Jason Josephes