Simon Koudriavtsev may demonstrate a textural allegiance to Richard D. James, Seefeel and other electronic artists who embrace post-rock aesthetics, but he doesn't let his love of heart-stopping shimmer detract from the jittery grooves that drive his songs. Systems and Drafts brashly fuses ambient keys, synths and guitar with sweaty click-clack. Life-affirming Album Leaf melodies and balmy digifunk collide in "System 19" and "System 20", in which Koudriavtsev concludes, surprisingly, that cinematic sweep and libidinous shuck and jive can enjoy a happy coexistence.

The album is about more than striking polarities: in "System 25", Skoud tries his hand at subtle sculpting, adding and subtracting lines of digital clatter until he reaches a blissful resolution. His shotgun marriages and jigsaw compositions aren't asking to live and die on the fringes, either -- Systems and Drafts is comprised of honest-to-God pop songs, the kind that get their point across in less than three minutes and candycoat their subversions and experiments. This shit can infiltrate our homes, forcing renegade formal integration upon the unknowing masses. Skoud will get away with it, too -- we'll all be too busy dancing to stop him.