Sizu Yantra

Cafe Tacuba's dynamic lead singer Ruben Albarran is a complex cat. At first glance, his solo debut looks (and sounds) like a Kraftwerk-meets-rave mash-up. But scrutiny reveals that under Bienvenido Al Sueno's techno trickery lurks Tibetan Buddhism. Songs like "Yantra" and "Tayata Om" refer to sacred art and a Buddhist mantra, while the pulsing, 20-minute long "Bardo" is named for the liminal zone Buddhists believe the soul occupies between death and rebirth -- heavy concepts, playfully packaged. The only real downer? Albarran uses his glorious scar of a voice on only a handful of songs.