Ariel Haunted Graffiti Pink HOUSE ARREST

Originally released in 2002 as part of a split double-CD set, then re-released with a couple of bonus tracks (including the multipart epic "Netherlands") in 2006, House Arrest, much like every other Ariel Pink release so far, provides a small sampling of Ariel Rosenberg's self-recorded compositions, laid down on a trusty eight-track at home. Unlike so many warbling troubadours who seem to think the recorded-in-a-bedroom approach means a license to be maudlin, Rosenberg brings an exuberant joy to his work, finding something that a full band recording might actually kill the spirit of. The queasy tones and gently distanced verses of the opening "Hardcore Pops Are Fun" is instant put-a-smile-on-your-face stuff, helping to set the tone for the whole collection. The demented synth pop merriment of "Flying Circles" suggests an '80s nugget swathed in psychedelic haze, a gentle breeziness apparent on many other songs like the giddy "Every Night I Die at Miyagis" or the nervous funk of "Alisa,"