Except for a few medium-profile cameos, the bulk of the singing is handled by two relative unknowns. Neither Amy Trujillo nor Josh Todd would sound out of place on a Massive Attack record -- her voice is seductive, his plaintive -- but they do add to the spell. The singers' anonymity keeps the focus on the songs, a collection of jittery, ill-at-ease compositions that stretch out beyond the straitjacket limitations of noir soundscapes. Two of Todd's numbers are particularly strong, the soaring "Rain" and the despondent "Faded."
Dust has several bleak, despairing moments yet is not a monotonously downtempo record. Muggs isn't aiming for a crossover -- he doesn't have the chutzpah of a Moby -- but Dust is a minor gem for a disrespected genre.
