by François Couture This is a surprising album, not so much for the music it offers than for the people responsible. SluG is a trio consisting of guitarist Thomas Lucas (under his solo persona John Trap), and two ex-members of zeuhl juggernaut Magma: singer Himiko Paganotti and keyboardist Emmanuel Borghi. Let it be said up front: personnel aside, SluG has nothing to do with Magma, and you will be sorely disappointed if you approach this album on those grounds. Speed and Joy is an odd electro-pop opus, and a difficult beast to tackle. The mood is dark throughout, music-wise and lyric-wise (stories about people trapped in TVs, monsters under the bed, and abusive parents, among other topics). The songs have a certain Portishead quality to them -- subdued and softly sung -- paired with an experimental facet that is only partially successful. Paganotti, a powerful singer with Magma, here opts for a tone alternating between a scared little girl and a whispering indie pop diva. In the former mood, she strikes an uncanny resemblance to Kate Bush ("I Can Share This Space," "Speed and Joy"); in the latter, she loses her appeal and uniqueness ("Grey," a boring straightforward pop song). Borghi's arrangements are multi-layered yet monochromatic over the scope of the album, and some of Trap's sampling work is clumsy. A hit-and-miss album, Speed and Joy promises much but delivers less.