Lucrecia Dalt's ¡Ay! was inspired by the bolero, salsa, and merengue music she grew up hearing in Colombia as a child. The album follows a science fiction story line about an alien visitor named Preta who visits Earth and attempts to make sense of the human condition. Much heavier on acoustic instrumentation than Dalt's previous albums, the record has a bit of a space-age exotica feel, giving the impression of an extraterrestrial's first encounters with Latin American music. Following the languorous stroll of opener "No Tiempo," the spoken "El Galatzo" is much more intimate and poetic. "Atemporal" is filled with clanky percussion and creaky organ melodies, sounding a bit like Tom Waits' later, more experimental work. Other tracks continue with this sort of woozy post-industrial cha-cha sound, with outlandish electronic processing, slapped hand percussion, and slithering basslines backing Dalt's clear, curious vocals. While much of the album is slow and murky, the brief "Bochinche" has a more playful, upbeat rhythm, though the organ and trumpet parts sound eerier the more you concentrate on them. After the tightly coiled tension of "Enviada," the album blissfully drifts out to sea with the glistening, vocoder-laced "Epilogo." With ¡Ay!, Dalt succeeds at constructing and exploring an elaborate sound world that resembles a surreal reflection of her past. ~ Paul Simpson