by Ned RaggettHaving quietly made their initial splash with the Yearbook 1 collection (helped by generous MP3 sharing of same, along with related singles), Studio re-released most of it (subtracting "No Comply" and "Radio Edit") to create West Coast, which sent the simmering buzz about the group into overdrive. Little wonder why -- while perfectly in sync with any number of European acts playing around with a restrained, crisp energy to their techno (it's no surprise someone like Prins Thomas was an early booster), the duo of Dan Lissvik and Rasmus Hägg brings not only a sheen of '80s electronics but that decade's art-inclined rock & roll. The Cure in particular have a huge influence by the duo's own admission -- one commentator's description of West Coast sounding as if Seventeen Seconds had been recorded in Nassau rather than London is as perfect a summation as any. Part of it is certainly due to the occasional lost and forlorn vocals, but ...