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GOTAN PROJECT Lunático Ya Basta/XL ***

Named after a champion racehorse that tango luminary Carlos Gardel owned during the 1930s, Lunático shows that the Gotan Project trio possess similar pedigree to that thoroughbred steed. While their 2001 debut La Revancha del Tango brazenly and brightly mated electronic music and the accordion, their second run is all about doing other things with the tango and milonga. Aided by a heavyweight selection of collaborators (including vocalists Juan Carlos Cáceres and Cristina Villalonga, pianist Gustavo Beytelmann and desert artisans Calexico), the Gotan plot this time around is to dwell and loiter in the space between the grooves. As a result, the sound is languid and liquid, oozing a confidence and panache that is all the better to coat a sumptuous ballad such as Tango Cancion or the witty drawl of Diferente. Prepare to be tangoed once again. www.gotanproject.com

Jim Carroll