Those old enough to remember Pee-wee's Big Adventure surely recall being haunted by Danny Elfman's spooky soundtrack, the demented carnival music heard throughout the movie. A similar eccentric and darkly compelling sensibility informs the moods and sounds of Abracastabya. At times the act's music waltzes with palpable menace before flaring up with near-hysterical intensity, like a scene out of a classic Dario Argento film. Live, Willow Welter's melodic, lilting vocals are given a certain edge by her penetrating gaze, while innovative and eclectic rhythms set the pace for the guitars and cello, all of which come together to weave a canopy of sublimely gritty and otherworldly material.

Melancholy Buzz, Danzig, Shellac, 50% of Nigel, Boff Inches, Nation of Ulysses