Queen of the Wave

iTunes Review

No one will accuse the Finnish electronic duo Pepe Deluxe of thinking small. The auteurs’ fourth album is nothing less than a “esoteric pop opera in three parts” based on the 19th-century fantasy novel A Dweller on Two Planets. Partners James Spectrum and Paul Malmstrom employ such exotic instruments as a Tesla coil synthesizer and the Great Stalacpipe Organ (built into Virginia’s Luray Caverns). They also enlist the Czech Film Orchestra and an international cast of pop/rock singers and players. The result is a fascinating and at times overwhelming confection that stirs in everything from ‘60s surf instrumentals to spy-movie soundtracks and British trip-hop. If it all sounds mindblowing, it is. But the tracks here are also musically substantial and flat-out fun, carrying along the convoluted narrative on swelling strings and thunderous beats. Highlights include the ultra-dramatic ballad “My Flaming Thirst,” the folk/hip-hop fusion “Contain Thyself,” the jazzy space-rock piece “A Night and a Day,” and the frothy girl-group number “Go Supersonic.” It’s a careening ride into an alternative sonic universe.