Electric Honey

Luscious Jackson have created possibly the album of the summer in Electric Honey, a wonderful mixture of experimentalism, bubblegum pop, hip-hop, folk and rock, all served up with a dollop of sunshine and a smile.

The opener, 'Nervous Breakthrough', is all thumping bass-drum and infectious chorus. Brimming over with bubbly pop sensibility, it should make its way onto playlists across the country. 'Ladyfingers' features the presence of Emmylou Harris on backing vocals and comes across like The Indigo Girls with samplers, as Luscious Jackson show that they're not afraid of the power of their sexuality, a fine foil to the more macho preserve of the boys.

Emmylou isn't the only special guest to contribute to Electric Honey, which also features former Brand New Heavy, N'Dea Davenport, and Canadian maverick Daniel Lanois ('Christine'), while Blondie songstress Debbie Harry joins in on 'Fantastic Fabulous', exuberant pop which drips sarcsm from every syllable. Emmylou herself pops up again on 'Country's A Callin', a melting pot of crowing cocks, breakbeats and down home country.

Guest stars aside, this hour belongs to Jill Cunniff, Gabby Glaser and Kate Schellenbach. Over the course of its 15 tracks, they cram in many styles, often in the same song, sometimes challenging the listener, but for the most part maintaining an accessibility that welcomes rather than alienates its audience.

From the laid-back funk of 'Alien Lover', through the pure pop whimsy of 'Beloved' or 'Devotion', to the menacing dub of 'Gypsy', Luscious Jackson prove that they have the same spirit of adventure as male contemporaries such as The Beastie Boys or Beck, with a similar nonchalant sense of cool. Superb.