Nordic Lounge 2

The glitchy vocal snippets and electronic burbles of Plej's "Blue" begin Nordic Lounge, Vol. 2 promisingly, establishing a groove that's definitely down-tempo and subtle, but with teeth enough to make an impression. This continues with Sweden's Stateless (aka Andreas Saag, aka Swell Session) and the contribution "All of a Sudden," which stitches fluttery soul vocals and breathy sax parts onto scattered, power-strip percussion. Elsewhere, Plej returns for a remix of "Seasons," and the Plej-connected outfit Similou turns in the fun, sideways astro funk of "Orchid Queen." Best might be Koop's "Relaxin' at the Club F****n," which builds its gritty jazz-house rhythm at odds to the track's dusty vocal sample floater, "All the colors are changin'/Autumn is here." Nordic Lounge, Vol. 2 succeeds where its predecessor didn't, mostly because of these slight yet unique turns of sonic adventurism. With its personnel-sharing and support of the downbeat scene in far-flung places like Gothenburg, Sweden, the set substantiates the geographical affiliation of its nameplate. Recommended for chilling. ~ Johnny Loftus