If ever an album cover were more indicative of the music contained inside it than this debut by Raleigh legends Silica Gel, I certainly have never seen it. Picture an orange, glowing nebulous background with a simple drawing of a boy and a girl dancing. Put a hammer in the boy's hand, poised to strike the unknowing girl. Therein lies Silica Gel. Weaving together computer generated rhythms and ironic sound bites, this band somehow manages to present a familiar world twisted into something both vaguely recognizable and vaguely disturbing. Their manipulation of sound tests the boundaries of music with pieces ranging from dirge-like epics to straight-forward sound snippets. The album is alternately humorous, soothing, grating, and eerie, with bits of irony seasoning the mix. To Silica Gel's credit, Negativland has just agreed to pick up and distribute this disc nationally through its Seeland label. (Madeleine Hensler)