
Hood's 'Cold House' album was a mutually beneficial escapade for both the Yorkshire band and guest rapper Adam 'Doseone' Drucker. Suddenly the very English melancholic sound had been hijacked by hip-hop and - perhaps surprisingly - it worked well. Doseone has performed under a variety of project names but Subtle is probably his most accessable work to date. 'A New White' is just as likely to use real instruments as programmed drumbeats; an approach which is rewarded with involving rather than merely outwardly cool results. 'Red, White & Blonde' is queasily melodic, 'The Long Vein Of The Law' is the most hip-hop of all tracks but still retains an otherworldy quality. Even more dreamy are the single 'F.K.O.' and 'The Hook', the latter of which follows the dissonant route favoured by A.R. Kane. Throughout Doseone relays bizarre lyrics in scattershot style, rather like a particularly persistent wasp hellbent on entering a listener's ear, whilst the imaginative arrangements maintain a world of interest that is very much unique. Like the title suggests, the key is in the subtlety.