Gaby Kerpel

Kerpel's brilliant 2003 release echoes artists like Tom Waits and Manu Chao -- he's just as sonically inventive and polyglot as Chao, but with a darker, more slanted take on reality. He listens to no muse but his own: "Se Que No Vas A Volver"'s lighthearted, orchestral sound gives way to tracks like the amorphous "Budapestation," while "Xplicamelo" is almost Beefheart-ian.

Structurally and emotionally, this soundtrack sans movie recalls Another Green World, only without Eno's unifying vocals or cute tunes. What you go back for are the instruments from South America and samples from anywhere, the same stuff the Latin Playboys and Manu Chao play as raw materials to provide atmosphere and context. Here, the vocals and tunes--even the songs per se--are window dressing. Kind of. (Grade - A-)