Lushlife
Bowery Electric'sLushlifeis a piece of work that's sumptuous in its minimalism.  As with their previous album,Beat, the collective elements cut a forlorn musical figure yet still produce melodies that are surprisingly bright in their lullaby tone.  The first track, "Floating World," opens with rainfall and is slowly overtaken by a lithe hip-hop beat that continues unbroken, melting perfectly into the next song. Using soft, woeful samples and short, circling bass lines, the group builds an almost palpable sense of urban sadness, invoking the haunted, rainy Manhattan that surrounded them during the recording of this album. Martha Schwendener's vocals, although engaging, affect their power through hypnotic repetition. As the reversed tape loops and final scattered beats of the last track fade out,Lushlifeproves an apt title for the album's musical cosmos.--Aaron Kirschnick