Stateless - Ariel (single)

A lonely gypsy jazz guitar sample leads the way into a slow thumping electro groove, and already a haunting atmosphere is set by the time singer Chris James adds his mournful lines to the mix. But the real payoff comes with the chorus as James adopts a falsetto Justin-Timberlake feel, joining it to an impressively catchy refrain: "Ariel, there was a fire in your house they say / And that your bedroom is all up in flames / They say you've been dancing with the devil". The pairing of grandiose good-vs-evil imagery with such funky trip-hop backing turns out to be a great choice, as it allows the track to become more than just a good pop song and take on some sort of weirder, deeper and darker element. As a side note, the video is just like the song - trippy and mesmerizing. A little bit of computer generated nudity and ribbon dancing goes a long way.