Frente! - Shape (1996)

On their followup to their surprise hit record Marvin the Album, Frente experiment with trancy instrumental overtones and languid trip-hop beats, all in attempt to make their sound hipper (or at least closer to Everything But the Girl). Although their ambition is admirable, the duo simply hasn't written enough hooks for Shape to have it make any sort of a lasting impression. Certain melodic lines slip out of the pleasant mist while the album is playing, but nothing is memorable after the record is finished. In other words, Shape is pleasant, but unremarkable.~Shape Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine