rainbow arabia Kabukimono (digipak CD, £11.25)

The second release from this Los Angeles duo, this 7 track album features 5 new recordings and 2 remixes of classic tracks from their 2008 debut, The Basta. It was ecorded between a gruelling tour schedule with fellow exotic spice beat-makers, Gang Gang Dance. Real-life married couple Danny and Tiffany Preston have kept busy digging up inspiration from Sublime Frequencies compilations CDs and Neo-Gothic Subculture. Musically, Rainbow Arabia work a pretty minimal setup. While the overall vibe stays in place, their means of execution requires many parts. The synth and drum machine workouts are certainly house-meets-tribal, but the menacing beats aren't what lend them their bones. What really sticks out are the serpentine guitar lines that slither their way through the music, sometimes taking on the shape of post-punk spikes, garage crunch and Edge-like delay effects. That sort of guitar eclecticism is mirrored in turn by Tiffany Preston, whose yips, yaps and prairie crows work well in Rainbow Arabia's efforts to transport as much as immerse. An easy reference point would be Ponytail's whirling frontwoman Molly Siegel. While her vocal turns aren't nearly so easy to place stylistically, both hit high registers some might call distracting more than complementary. Track Listing: Holiday In Congo/ Haunted Hall/ Omar K (Ghosts on Tape Remix)/ Harlem Sunrise/ Kabukimono/ I Know I See I Love I Go/ Let Them Dance (Brenmar Remix)