The band works from a base of clean guitar pop, held together by Valerie Trebeljahr's floating, '60s-flavored vocal delivery, a style reminiscent of Stereolab's and Saint Etienne's frontwomen. The beats lay somewhere between live and programmed drums; not surprisingly, they sound to be derived from Radiohead's "Airbag" cut-and-paste approach, or Squarepusher's stuttering, syncopated, computer-on-the-verge-of-meltdown programming (which seems to be the current standard IDM palette). Trebeljahr's partner in crime is Markus Acher from the Notwist--an act that first gained notoriety for their heavy-yet-melodic, Helmet-meets-Sigur Rós, drop-D-guitar approach in the mid-'90s. At the time it sounded confusing and schizophrenic to me, but Acher's vision was ahead of its time, and it's now paying off in Lali Puna. After all our years of unrelenting Sprockets jokes, the German electronic scene is laughing all the way to the bank.
The biggest challenge in trying to perfect pop on a contemporary level is pushing enough boundaries to keep things interesting, while exercising enough tradition so the masses can relate. Lali Puna's songs stay within a certain comfort zone--but by design. It wouldn't surprise me if they found their way into an automobile or wireless telecom commercial, but their sincere exploration of electronic music and tactful approach saves them from a trip to the Music Exchange-O-Rama and warrants them a home on my personal CD rack. NICOLAE WHITE
Morr Music Tour w/Lali Puna, Opiate, and Styrofoam, Wed Nov 20 at Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $12.
