From the moment Sound Mirrors kicks off with the primeval howl of none other than Jon Spencer, it’s apparent that this is going to be quite a different approach for the twosome known as Coldcut.

With guests on every track, apart from the title cut, Sound Mirrors is clearly Coldcut’s most easily accessible album to date. It opens large, with “Everything is Under Control” featuring the aforementioned Spencer as well as rapper Mike Ladd, and “True Skool” utilising the talents of Roots Manuva. “Walk a Mile” features Robert Owens on warm modern r ‘n b vocals, but it’s the skittering beat that makes it a classic dancefloor moment.

“Sound Mirrors” itself is sparse and wonderful, where “This Island Earth” utilises Bugz in the Attic’s vocalist Mpho Skeef to brilliant effect, with her soulful vocals coupled to a breakbeat that skitters and scatters underneath her occasionally soaring vocal line. The breakdown itself is inspired, and the song is a surefire winner.

Occasionally Sound Mirrors falters, especially so on “Mr Nichols”, where Saul Williams speaks his way through a completely dull and disinteresting sound. Coldcut are unlikely to ever match Let Us Play!, released a decade ago, but Sound Mirrors is nevertheless an vibrant and varied collection of sounds.