Canta Lechuza

Recording information: Wood House on 400 Acres of Land (11/2010).Roberto Carlos Lange recorded his second Helado Negro album, Canta Lechuza, holed up in a rural Connecticut cabin, but it sounds like it could have been made in an orbiting space station for all that it has in common with where it was made. Actually, that would be a fitting explanation for the album's playful, peaceful, and decidedly insular sound, which is a drastic change from the expansive collaborations of Helado Negro's debut Awe Owe; if anything, it has more in common with Asthmatic Kitty's library music series than their regular output. In splendid isolation with an arsenal of loops, samples, drum machines, live instruments, and synths at his disposal, Lange flexed his muscles as a sound-shaper, and the sonic trickery that decorated Awe Owe is Canta Lechuza's focus. Sounds drift, hover, and cruise from one stereo channel to another, making songs like "Globitos," "Regresa," and "20 Dia" ideal headphone listening. Me