Tel Aviv-based duo Red Axes seem obsessed with atmosphere. Throughout their short career, they've flit between styles, combining minimal-influenced house and techno excursions with more left-of-centre downtempo moments, all the while retaining a smoky, late night feel to their productions. Ballad of The Ice, their debut album, takes a slightly different approach, mixing murky downtempo sounds with heavy new wave, post-punk, goth-rock and leftfield pop influences. It's a mixture that more often than not pays dividends, delivering intoxicating compositions that bristle with moody early morning charm. Amongst the Cabaret Voltaire, Joy Division and Section 25 influences, you'll also find a superbly spooky cover of Bauhaus's "Bela Lugosi's Dead", which vies with the stomping "Head Like Glass" for "best track" honours.