Dance music isn't usually known for its political content. Faithless themselves have spent more time championing the glories of club life than dissecting a world weighted down by war, terrorism, and poverty. That's all changed with No Roots, an ambitious disc that offers sustenance to both body and brain. The focal point is the startling single "Mass Destruction," a brazen study of a boy whose dad goes off to war. Over simmering beats cooked up by Sister Bliss and Rollo (better known for the feel-good tracks he's made for his sister Dido), MC Maxi Jazz lays down a chorus indicting ignorance, racism, greed, and more, with lines like "Whether long range weapon or suicide bomb/ A wicked mind is a weapon of mass destruction." Not since Massive Attack or Tricky at his peak has the sizzle of social concern ignited a fire in the electronic music world. The rest of the disc offers plenty of mike time to newcomer LSK, who echoes Maxi Jazz's thoughts with a smooth voice on songs like "Love Lies on My Street," which champions love as a balm to both urban and worldwide wounds. Even sis Dido turns up to duet with Maxi on the title track, her feathery vocals providing a stark contrast to his husky endorsement of love in all its manifestations. Musically, Bliss and Rollo flex their muscles as well: The tracks are woven together in two suite-like halves, with swooning synths, chiming acoustic guitars, buzzing electric ones, and velvety string arrangements. Rarely is ambition rewarded so amply as it is on this thought-provoking, hip-swiveling disc.