Perhaps the least predictable of Anglo electronic duos, Spring Heel Jack never quite hit commercial paydirt in the United States -- unlike hookier, hokier Brit acts that sandwiched themselves between faux-grunge anthems and Caucasoid rappers on modern rock radio and MTV. The band, mixmasters John Coxon and Ashley Wales, are too genuinely weird. They slipped free of the drum 'n' bass genre albums ago, sometimes ignoring beats entirely in favor of lushly discordant soundscapes that arguably evoke the "jungles" of Rousseau or Duke Ellington more immediately than the dense, driven English dance music of the mid-1990s.

Disappeared, the band’s third release this year, doesn’t lack for hypnotic rhythm attacks: "Mit Wut" slams persuasively, layering synths and effects over a stately, fuzzed-out bass pattern that yields to cartoon-soundtrack flourishes and bits of Goth noodling that suggest the brighter side of Trent Reznor. But the album more typically pays homage to jazz sources, as vibes, flutes, and bass clarinets splash vibrant bits of tonal color across playfully exotic canvases. These guys clearly know their Herbie, Miles, and Sun Ra discographies -- and on a brief, skronky track called "Lester," they could easily be paying homage to the late, great trumpeter Lester Bowie.

Even if much of this threatens to evaporate into the background, it’s terrifically fun stuff: artful without an ounce of pretense.