Pitchfork

When Bob Moog lays his brilliant head on the pillow for a long night of deserved rest, this album provides the soundtrack to his dreams. As he sleeps, he hears peaceful sounds, uneasy sounds, and sounds as funky as grandpa's long drawers, all generated by the machine that bears his name: the incomparable Moog synthesizer. And behind the keyboards is Britain's Add N to (X), armed with an arsenal of primitive noise appliances, ready to make a convincing argument for the raw power of analog in this glistening digital age.

An electronic collective with a sharp sense of humor is a rare animal, but these four make music that feels adventurous, playful and fun. Sure, they like to get loud and see exactly what kind of racket can be wrought from these beasts (the quasi-industrial "Murmur One"), but it never feels indulgent or forced. Instead, we get music that ranges from a wonderfully cheesy deconstruction of drum-n-bass that sounds like Wendy Carlos playing "Switched on Photek," to the blues dressed in '50s retro future gear and sung by a Cylon who's feeling mighty low ("King Wasp").

Of course, if kitsch and gimmickry were all Add N to (X) had to offer, it would get old pretty quick, but this is music stands up to more rigorous analysis. The songs are good and catchy, the beats are funky, and the synth modulations sound impossibly new, leading one to believe that On the Wires of Our Nerves is the end result of extensive experimentation. Yeah, I know, Moogs have been "in" for the last five years or so, but Add N to (X) has removed them from their role as ironic novelty, placing the machines front and center so we can bask in their sonic glory. And for this, Add N to (X), both Bob and I would like to say "thank you."