Exile

On its third release, Pharaoh's Daughter fuses Middle Eastern and Jewish sounds with a dark, indie pop sensibility. Programmed effects and beats give the music a hip, modern edge without sacrificing the founding aesthetic of the band. Hats off to producer/multi-instrumentalist Frederik Rubens for pulling it off, combining oud, guitars, sitar, accordion, brass, strings, and more into a seamlessly musical blend. This couldn't have happened, however, without the evocative singing and songwriting of Basya Schechter. Listen to tracks like "Paradise Hung" and "Confession" and you'll encounter images that linger long after the music ends. It's hard to imagine a line more arresting than this: "I am a fake/A hyper-conscious Jewish fake/With a Catholic habit for confession." Keep the disc playing to hear a bonus remix of "Off and On."