The "record label" ought to tell you something. Actually, there's a lot more to be told. Once known as Bitch Cassidy, this Norwegian outfit began life ages ago as a doomy metal band. Which has nothing to do with the noodly, off-kilter electronic pop that the band has been propagating for ages.

Bingo Crowd Manners (Crispin Glover Records)

Alan Moulder (best known for his involvement with Nine Inch Nails) produced this drearily atmospheric set. I'm using "drearily" as a compliment, by the way. These songs pip and bop their way with a wan insouciance, but the downbeat vocals provide a twisted counterpoint. And there I go, losing the thread again.

Moulder has said that Bingo Crowd reminded him of Mute and Factory bands, and that's fair. But this is far more stripped down than anything New Order ever did (perhaps it might help to imagine Morrissey at the front), but in the band's usual counterintuitiveness, these songs are also more perky. Bingo Crowd is nothing if not all over the place within its highly constrained world.

The easiest thing to say about this set is that it is almost instantly hypnotic. The band's conflicting influences are a draw, not a drawback. A delicious low-key tension permeates, leading to a highly-addictive frisson. As this rolls on, it makes less and less sense and is more and more enticing. The journey is utterly enthralling.

Jon Worley