Divine Operating System
Heavy with lounge atmosphere, but still only subtle tweaks away from dance floor nirvana, Supreme Beings of Leisure's sophomore effort has it both ways, laying down smart rhythms in a record that grooves slow and steady like a spy on a stakeout. Less self-consciously multicultural,Divine Operating Systemis more sure-footed than theirself-titled debut, which too often sounded likeMorcheebalite. SBOL's members are a diverse group, with members hailing from Japan, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Iran, and elsewhere, but their debut was so smooth and so familiar, it didn't sound as authentic as it should have.Divinehas a not entirely original feel to it as well, given the deluge of Latin and lounge-flavored dance records that have come along since downtempo took off in the late '90s. Still, while not terribly innovative, tracks like "Divine" and "Touch Me" have a fitting R&B; aesthetic and a genuine thump. The Eastern-inspired touches that made their debut such a smooth collection surface occasionally, giving slower tracks like "Rock and a Hard Place" a higher bliss quotient. But another record's worth of practice has yielded more authoritative songs, and while it doesn't have a "Strangelove Addiction" on it, the agreeably narcotic effect of the music here withstands repeated listening quite nicely.--Matthew Cooke