Jeff Martin and Stephen Shannon only ever intended to record one song together. As it turned out, however, the dynamic between them worked so well that they ended up forming a band. Halfset is a suitably enigmatic name for an outfit who specialise in organic, soothing and supremely melodic instrumentals that work equally well in a live setting as they do when heard through headphones late at night. Nominally you'd classify this album under 'electronica', but with banjo, glockenspiel, madolin and even some occasional vocals thrown into the mix, there's obviously a lot more going on than than the standard programmed beats. It all adds up to a warm, sensual listening experience that's crying out to become the soundtrack to some cerebral late-night movie. This is the fifth release from the sterling Dublin label Elusive - and it's yet another winner.
