Spanish Dance Troupe
As serious lovers of psychedelic pop music (traces ofBrian Wilson,Pink Floyd,Frank Zappa,Soft Machine, and theChillsare lurking), Gorky's Zygotic Mynci have always made albums that defy description.Spanish Dance Troupeis their most subdued album to date, perhaps a reflection of their somber Welsh roots or the difficulties the band has faced  jumping from label to label. The wear and tear, however, hasn't affected the  underlying ebullience. "She Lives on a Mountain" could be their homage to  fellow Welshman ex-Velvet UndergroundmemberJohn Cale, as it resembles his moody  ballads (circa Paris 1919) but worked over with a carnivalesque arrangement.  "Faraway Eyes"  uses pedal steel and sawing fiddles, unexpectedly, since the  melody is closer to Britpop than down-home country. "Hair Like Monkey Teeth  Like Dog" recalls the band's now nearly neglected overtly experimental side.  Serious fun for pop scholars awaits.--Rob O'Connor