VA - @Home @Sunset (2001)

This is the companion album to @Home @Sunrise, a chill-out compilation designed for therapeutic use. Whereas Sunrise is especially designed to assist the homecoming raver in relaxing and unwinding after a hard night's hand-waving and pacifier-sucking, this disc is more aimed at setting a warm, laid-back mood at the beginning of the evening. The grooves are still gentle and relaxed, but they tend to nudge things along a bit more. Alex Gopher's brilliant deconstruction of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" lopes along on a funky, mid-tempo acid jazz beat; Miro's "By Your Side" combines a slowly oozing trip-hop beat with ethereal synth washes and dubwise reverb effects; on "Utopia," the charmingly named Goldfrapp layers whispery vocals over faux harpsichord and throws in a dash of operatic bel canto. The end result is sexy, slinky, and just funky enough to hold onto your attention. Nice. .