Alien's music resides somewhere between the damaged breakbeat assault of Aphex Twin (Come to Daddy) and the moody ambient of, well, Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works, Vol.

2).

But this lack of definition works in his favor, as The Pleasure of Leisure is interesting enough to merit repeat listening without ever become grating or uncomfortable.

"Frankie the Prankster" is the record's most aggressive moment, but its revved-up funk lick is tooled to sound like a live drummer, making it more palatable.

Elsewhere, the smooth jazz saxophone on "Slow Fader" does test the listener's schmaltz threshold.

But everything else kindly blends the synthetic pleasures of analog soundscapes and the physiological satisfaction of mutant beats.

It's not an original notion, but Alien performs the balancing act better than most.

To the purist followers of Richard D.

James, this may come off as a lightweight sellout, not extreme enough on either end of the spectrum to merit praise.

But without the pressure of a cult followings, The Pleasure of Leisure makes for an interesting and engaging listen that electronic fans would do well to have in their collections.