Rodrigo y Gabriela: Area 52 (ATO)

Rodrigo y Gabriela: "Juan Loco"

With their last album, 11:11, dueling guitarists Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero exploded into the spotlight, gaining a new swell of fans with their blend of acoustic rock and Latin sounds. Now the duo — whose original material already is infused with the energy and frenetic fretwork of classical guitar and metal — has re-imagined its own material with the aid of a 13-piece Cuban big band.

Area 52 is full of horn stabs, jazzy piano accents, and flute flourishes, but it goes well beyond being a traditional Cuban record. A healthy diversity is borne from psychedelic guitar effects and unexpected guest appearances, including sitarist Anoushka Shankar, bassist Carles Benavent (Chick Corea, Miles Davis), and drummer John Tempesta (Testament, White Zombie).

“Hunuman,” one of the duo’s biggest songs, is re-imagined — and nearly unrecognizable from its powerful acoustic-thrash beginning — as a dramatic string-tinged intro paves the way for the song’s main melody. It even bears shades of Carlos Santana. Though fans will have to keep waiting for brand-new songs, these selections nearly qualify.

- Scott Morrow

Gangrene: Vodka & Ayahuasca (Decon)

Gangrene: "Vodka & Ayahuasca"

In November of 2010, rappers/producers The Alchemist and Oh No released their first full-length collaboration as Gangrene. The album, Gutter Water, showcased the duo’s subtly sophisticated production techniques as well as Alc and Oh’s emcee skills, although the latter fell flat in moments of self-aggrandizement or gratuity.

Now Gangrene returns with its follow-up record, Vodka & Ayahuasca — a grimy, tripped-out nightmare. Like its predecessor, V&A tends to suffer a bit from outlandish lyrics and occasionally clunky deliveries, but its hip-hop beats fused with psychedelic effects, distorted-guitar and piano samples, and as clips of ayahuasca freak-outs provide a satisfyingly weird, unnerving atmosphere. (For those unaware, ayahuasca is a DMT-laden hallucinogenic.) Though the album may be unappealing to those outside of drug culture, the bizarreness of the whole experience will keep you listening track after track.

- Meaghann Korbel

Victor Villarreal: Invisible Cinema (Joyful Noise)

Victor Villarreal: "Enters"

Following his years as an unheralded but influential guitarist in Cap'n Jazz, Ghosts 'n' Vodka, and Joan of Arc, finger-picking virtuoso Victor Villarreal went through a musical disappearance. He finally resurfaced in 2009 with Alive, a tribute to his late brother that featured Villarreal's vocal debut over strummed singer-songwriter pieces.

Invisible Cinema is, in the words of Joyful Noise, his first "fully realized" effort. The complex guitar passages are restrained but more frequent, and with them are a handful of accompanying instruments as well as, seemingly, more self-confidence as a singer. Though Villarreal's vocals can be hit or miss, he has made ample progress since Alive, and the opening track, "Enters," is proof. After two minutes of amazingly melodic guitar work and backing strings, the piece is joined by drums before Villarreal launches into a 3/4-based vocal phrasing — something that he might not have tried on Alive.

With bits of trumpet, bass, guitar feedback, and drums and other percussion, Invisible Cinema has enough flavor to keep from getting old. If being a solo performer is the next chapter of Villarreal's career, he should do just fine.

- Scott Morrow

Plug: Back on Time (Ninja Tune)

Plug: "Feeling So Special"

Back on Time is the latest collection of tracks from oddball electronic musician Luke Vibert, whose aliases of Wagon Christ, Plug, and many others have tens of albums to their credit (in addition to officially "solo" releases). In gathering these 10 tunes, Vibert rummaged the depths of his apparently massive catalog of Plug material from 1995 to 1998, a time when he was putting his own stamp on the drum-and-bass genre.

Though these previously unreleased songs are roughly 15 years old, the record sounds, for the most part, strangely renewed. Tracks like the break-beat-driven, semi-glitchy, semi-jazzy “Yes Man” display Vibert’s creativity in fusing different electronic styles. But the album’s freshness is in part due to his playful humor: the industrial “Come on My Skeleton” throws a curve-ball with the sober warning “you might also become aware of your anus or genitalia”; “Mind Bending” jerks back and forth between Speak 'n’ Spell-style synthesized speech and a stoner’s awe at some “fucking excellent acid house.”

Melodies and beats are aplenty, in nearly whichever style you prefer. But when the album threatens to become a tad too serious, you can count on that humor to cut the tension at just the right moment.

- Meaghann Korbel

Gonjasufi: MU.ZZ.LE (Warp)

Gonjasufi: "Feedin' Birds"

Written as an emotional and spiritual outlet while on the road touring, MU.ZZ.LE is psychedelic rapper Gonjasufi’s latest “mini-album” since his 2010 debut, A Sufi and a Killer. The combination of down-tempo beats and haunting lyrics on this album make for a dark and introspective atmosphere, but his voice is his most powerful and versatile instrument. At times, it’s something of a hoarse croak, a barely audible mumble; at other times, it reaches a sorrowful croon and a creeping howl, often in a sudden, drastic shift. The effect is unsettling — and unforgettable.

- Meaghann Korbel

Honorable Mentions

Abigail Williams: Becoming (Candlelight)

Bleubird: Cannonball!!! (Fake Four)

Dodecahedron: s/t (Underground Activists / Season of Mist)

Imbogodom: And They Turned Not When They Went (Thrill Jockey)

Lamb of God: Resolution (Roadrunner)

Nada Surf: The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy (Barsuk)

Pyramids / Horseback: A Throne Without a King (Hydra Head)

Rhyton: s/t (Thrill Jockey)

Zomes: Improvisations (Thrill Jockey)

In advance of the album's release on January 24 via ATO Records, check out the trailer below and band's newly posted tour dates.

The show opened on July 2 with a kick-off rock-and-blues concert by Derek Miller and will run through January 2, 2011 on the National Mall in the second-level Sealaska Gallery. Designed to share with visitors the histories of successful Native musicians, the exhibit features hand-held MP3 players with a playlist including Johnny Cash, Robbie Robertson, Rita Coolidge, and Mildred Bailey.

Also highlighted in the show are personal objects of the musicians, such as Jimi Hendrix’s multicolored full-length patchwork leather coat, Link Wray’s 1958 Danelectro Longhorn guitar, Randy Castillo’s double-platinum album, and Stevie Salas’ hooked green electric guitar.

The museum has compiled a video discussing the musicians’ stories to go along with the themes of the exhibition, “In the Spotlight,” “Encore,” and “Keeping the Beat.” These topics examine Native performers who represent the diversity in musical genre within American music, as well as the variety in achievement and recognition in mainstream music that they have received within the past half-century.

Continue your music-appreciation lesson with a live experience after your visit to the museum, with exhibit-featured artists Testament, touring through early September.

Remaining dates for Testament's 2010 American Carnage Tour with Slayer and Megadeth:

8/25 – Denver, CO @ Magness Arena
8/26 – Albuquerque, NM @ Tingley Coliseum
8/27 – Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
8/29 – San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
8/30 – Long Beach, CA @ Long Beach Arena
8/31 – San Francisco, CA @ Cow Palace
9/1 – Sacramento, CA @ Arco Arena
9/3 – Seattle, WA @ Wamu Theatre
9/4 – Portland, OR @ Washington County Fairgrounds

Rodrigo y Gabriela: 11:11 (ATO)

Inspired as much by metal as salsa and classical guitar, acoustic duo Rodrigo Sanchez y Gabriela Quinetro fuse a worldly reverence with blistering riff work and scintillating solos.  This, the couple's new studio album of 11 originals, is a forceful, kinetic crossroads of rock, flamenco, and Latin style with dashes of psychedelia — and even a moment of turntablism.

The duo's metal background is readily apparent on album opener "Hanuman" — as well as in frequent power-chord backdrops and palm-muted thrash leads — but traditional rhythms and melodies define the album.  Guitar guru Alex Skolnick of Testament, no stranger to musical convergence, makes a guest appearance, emphasizing the appeal of 11:11 to guitar lovers of all stripes.

Celan: Halo (Exile on Mainstream)

Even when unexpected collaborations don't produce groundbreaking new sounds, the curiosity factor alone is enough to pique interest in a project.

Celan may not smash any boundaries, but its debut, Halo, is a fine down-tuned alt-metal collaboration built around an interesting partnership — guitarist/vocalist Chris Spencer from Unsane and keyboardist Ari Benjamin Meyers from Einsturzende Neubauten and Redux Orchestra.

With Spencer's punishing vocals and crunchy mid-tempo riffs, Celan doesn't stray too far from Unsane's style.  But Meyers serves as a strong counterpart for Spencer, and his influence is best felt in the piano-centered conclusion to "Sinking" and the ambiance of "Washing Machine."

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: Beauty and the Beats 10" EP (Ubiquity)

Hailing from Chengdu, China and residing in Orange County, instrumentalist Bei Bei is a master of the gu zheng — a traditional stringed Chinese instrument that belongs in the zither family.  Her virtuosic skills have led to beautiful melodies, but Bei Bei isn't content to repeat the styles of her ancestors; during her short career, she has made a point to collaborate with specialists in hip hop, jazz, classical music, and more.

A short two-song, two-remix EP, Beauty and the Beats is another such crossover for Bei Bei, who here meets electro-funk multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee.  The resultant jams are a rare breed — gorgeous, head nodding, and awfully unique.  "East" is the single's A-grade B-side (and a re-imagined rendition of Billy Paul's classic) , but "Make Me Stronger" isn't far behind with guest vocals from soul singer Georgia Anne Muldrow.

Expect greatness when the two release their full album in January.

Twelve Cups Records, the new label run by avant-garde violinist Carla Kihlstedt, has issued its first release. Titled Ravish (and Other Tales for the Stage), the album is a collection of music for theater and dance written by Kihlstedt, bassist Dan Rathbun, and drummer Matthias Bossi — each a member of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.

The Dillinger Escape Plan has hired Billy Rymer (of The Rivalry) as its new drummer, replacing Gil Sharone, who will resume focusing on Stolen Babies with his brother Rani.

Beautiful electro-acoustic duo Lymbyc Systym begins a European tour today.

The Alex Skolnick Trio, an experimental jazz group led by Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick, has announced a short series of show dates, mostly in California. Skolnick's trio focuses on original pieces but also includes jazz renditions of rock and metal songs, including Testament's "Practice What You Preach."

After performing in France on New Year's Day, risque music/dance troupe Extra Action Marching Band returns to the Bay Area to play at The Uptown in Oakland on January 24.

Rock cellist Helen Money (the solo moniker of Alison Chesley) just finished a new album at Electrical Audio. Details of its release are forthcoming.

Video-game/metal experimentalists Horse the Band will begin recording a new album in March, likely with Xiu Xiu frontman Jamie Stewart at the boards. The album should be released in May or June on an unrevealed new label.

One of jazz saxophonist Ken Vandermark's upcoming recordings is a disc of live and studio improvisations with German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson. The group, Sonore, will have the album released in fall of 2009 on an undetermined label.

The request of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) to appeal the retrial of Jammie Thomas has been denied. Thomas was deemed liable for $222,000 in damages in 2007 for sharing 24 songs on Kazaa, but the same judge ruled months ago that the initial case was a mistrial. A new trial is set for March 9.