The Mole: As High As The Sky

Montreal producer The Mole stakes an impressive

claim to the legacy of Moodymann and Theo Parrish, two storied apostates who

approach house music from all sorts of unorthodox angles and with all kinds of

suspicious leers. Nothing in The Mole's method proves quite so dramatic, but on

As High As The Sky,

he has a similar knack for atmosphere—for house as an accumulation of

sashaying accents and sprayed suggestions as much as recognizably danceable

beats. "Ain't The Way It's Supposed To Be" stirs bubbles into a modest mix of

patient kick-drums, gulping gospel vocals, and disco percussion, while "Alice,

You Need Him" draws on an insistent science-fiction synth figure put into place

with a certain folksy charm. The album's best moments blur the distinction

between what it means to simmer and slam, as when "Hey Girl (I Feel So Good)"

gathers a monumental head of steam without sounding like it's changing much at

all. Call it another win for the magisterial powers of repetition, or maybe

just affirmation that the formal makeup of house music has a lot to offer

still.