L Pierre is, for those who don't already know, Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat. As L Pierre he gives himself over to the world of samples, loops, and on the opening track I Hate T-Shirts That Say 1977, large helpings of funk.

With a little help from a brilliantly executed classical loop and some acerbic yet almost apathetic rhyming from American rapper Notes, I Hate T-Shirts... sets its stall out as a dirty funk beast with delusions of grandeur. It is of course quite brilliant. Biblebash! changes tack immediately. The funk has disappeared, only to be replaced by something that could easily be a soundtrack to the Final Fantasy video games as written by Gary Numan. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

If nothing else, L Pierre likes to experiment with different sounds, because final track Blackdisco Vista heads off in yet another direction. As the title suggests, this is far bleaker than the previous tracks. This is a journey through a darkened techno landscape. An incessant drum loop invites you to zone out completely, but the menace of the orchestral samples keep you on your toes. Mixed bag it may be, but there's no equivalent of the coffee revel here.

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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees