Pendulum: Immersion

And so we welcome back Pendulum, the Aussies who are to musical subtlety what Edith Piaf is to regrets. Their sound – a cut'n'shut of drum & bass and sports metal with elements of emo – might be generously described as eclectic, but three albums in it's paying off: they're massive. Part of their appeal lies in their bombast, as 2008's, erm, bombastic hit Propane Nightmares proved. And there is plenty of bombastic bombast in tracks such as Crush and the whirligig Salt in the Wounds. When the template deviates from the big-beat/bigger-beat norm, such as on the Liam Howlett-featuring Immunize or Self vs Self (straight-up metal with guests In Flames) things are more bearable. But too often this is music designed for the sticky floors of an afterhours Walkabout bar. It's robotically humourless; imagine C3PO discovering ecstasy and synths and you're there.