Tympanogram Grade: B+

The most telling sign that electronic artist Mux Mool (a.k.a. Brian Lindgren) has matured his sound is that his style has been clearly defined on his newest album, Planet High School - an instrumental hip-hop release that cuts the excess from his debut full-length, 2010’s Skulltaste.

Not to say that one release is better than the other, but Lindgren provides listeners with two distinct styles on each one: 8-bit electronica and silk smooth electronic hip-hop, with the latter being what Planet High School mostly consists of. The lone downside to this evolution is that the spastic melodic fury that was pumped throughout most of Skulltaste has been toned down. However, the listener is still able to reap the benefits from this change because Lindgren’s beats have never been this rhythmically tight or skillfully layered.

Right from the get go on “Brothers,” we are revealed a world that is reminiscent of a subdued Skulltaste. With staccato keys, ambient tones, and a basic break beat, the album’s mood is defined and set in motion. It’s this consistency that makes Planet High School such an important stage for Lindgren’s career. With Skulltaste, the excitement and hooks were all there. But there wasn’t an adhesive to unify the album. The result was a collection of songs that were mostly exciting and adventurous, but lacking in flow. From “Brothers” seguing into “Live from 7-11,” the listener can tell that the issue has been remedied.

Fading are the beeps, buzzes, and sharp synth melodies. While not completely absent, for the most part they have been replaced by lighter, almost ambient stylings, creating sounds that are less aggressive, but more soulful and fulfilling in how they are absorbed. “Palace Chalice” and “Ruin Everything” are prime examples of this. On the former, tribal rhythms dominate the percussion while multi-layered synths pulsate throughout the track. Gone is the robotic language, replaced by drones and cosmic sounds that overlay simple and perfect complementary beats. It’s the continuous drone into “Ruin Everything” that keeps the atmosphere alive, serving as a major artery to connect the two songs.

Lindgren’s enthusiasm and excitability from Skulltaste do pop their heads out from time to time.  Tracks like “Raw Gore” and “Get Your Alphabets (Guns)” are as close as the album gets to Skulltaste throwbacks. “Raw Gore” has been created in a similar style to “Crackers,” existing in a constant state of build and release with the final segments being the richest in synth layers and drum pad rhythms. “Get Your Alphabets (Guns)” contains the spastic, knee-jerk beats that combine Lindgren’s style of using Nintendo-esque melodies to create atmosphere’s found in the deepest regions of science fiction. It’s a different type of mood music when compared to the mellow flow that’s laid out on a majority of the tracks.

To pick a favorite between Skulltaste and Planet High School would be a disservice to Lindgren’s work. Skulltaste defined Mux Mool as being an inventive name in electronic music by combining hip-hop with electronica and house characteristics. Planet High School took those accomplishments, refined them, and carefully molded them into an album that is intentionally more laid back, engrossing, and listenable. The consistency and flow from track to track has been the biggest improvement on this album–providing a definition on how to do more with less. And it’s worked well for Lindgren. Very well.

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Mux Mool // Palace Chalice [mp3] from Planet High School.