Part of Germany's nu-electro movement, Anthony Rother has had good success with his introspective, delicately driven breaks production.

Hacker is little more than a thin elaboration on the niche.

While few could fault Rother's capable blending of old and new sounds, a trick of retro-fusion that sidesteps the trap of electro-clash's abrasiveness, it's hard to find any true highlights.

The vocal tracks aren't any more song-based than the album's instrumentals.

They're broad but half-finished, engineered with a solid understanding of dramatic dropouts but not bleak or keyed-up enough to warrant the obscure arrangements.

Like the single "Die Macht," the album can only suggest (but not fulfill) the very real potential of dark electro and German male lyrics being muttered through the robotizing effects of a malfunctioning microphone.