There is something entirely familiar about the Opus' Breathing Lessons . A claustrophobic, down-tempo assault of digitalized paranoia and cinematic murkiness, the album -- the sophomore effort from the duo of Mr. Echoes and the Isle of Weight -- occupies the same haunted space in which artistes like DJ Shadow, El-P and Aesop Rock stalk. No big surprise there: the post-apocalyptic crunch of hip-hop's "underground" scene is the aforementioned rappers' provenance, after all. Still, having already laid down numerous tracks for the Aesop and other hip-hop heavies such as I Self Divine and Atmosphere's Slug, the Chicago-based duo is nevertheless in tune with the scene's overriding aesthetic and has the beats to prove it.
