Odd couples often make for the most rewarding musical marriages. Such is the case with British alt-pop singer/songwriter Lloyd Cole and German synthesizer wizard Hans-Joachim Roedelius, whose unlikely partnership bears some fruitful results here. Cole fans should be aware that Selected Studies, Vol. 1 is an all-instrumental electronic album. (Cole actually ventured into similar territory on his 2001 release, Plastic Wood.) Together the two—who collaborated entirely via the Internet—conjure up a sonic universe that's heavily informed by Roedelius’s pioneering ‘70s work with Krautrock legends Cluster and Harmonia. Still, the tracks tread a pretty broad stylistic spectrum, alternating between gentle, almost pastoral, ambient-flavored pieces (“Lullerby”), more visceral, rhythmic tunes (“Fehmarn F/O”), and nearly atonal avant-garde explorations (“Wandelbar”).