Nord Express

Even if the orchestration is quite simple--mostly an electric guitar strumming along to a cycling drum beat--Nord Express brings to mind masters of musical recycling like Galaxie 500. They know how to reuse simple lines to powerful ends; the harmony layer cake of "Around the World" has patterns that develop with just enough subtle changes to keep you engaged. If you can't tell what the heck Robert Goldrick is going on about with his mouth-full-of-marbles vocals, it hardly matters; the message of the music is spellbinding.