There are few greater listening experience than when Tarwater hit home with one of their robotic grooves. That mixture of Ronald Lippok's aloof vocals and Bernd Jestram's Kraftwerk-referencing metronomic backing starts right away with first song 'Across The Dial'. As if to prove it's no one-off, Tarwater then produce the similarly fine 'Seven Of Nine' and 'Ninety Days'. At these times it's possible to believe that if Lippok's vocals weren't quite so detached they could knock up top ten hits by the truckload. Unlike its predecessor 'Dwellers On The Threshold', the instrumentals - particularly 'Stone' and 'Entry' - are no makeweights either. One could accuse 'The People' of being a case of social comment above melody; it's certainly the point at which Lippok's vocals seems most cold and unmoving. However, 'Jackie', by comparison, is a brilliant slice of alternative pop thanks mainly to its addictive click-clack rhythm whilst 'In A Single Place' is a rare outing for their lonesome, soulful side. It's not quite as consistently infectious as 2000's 'Animals, Suns & Atoms' but this is certainly a return to form.