The Netherlands vs. The United States
Three reasons to live in the former:

1. In Amsterdam coffee shops you can order regular, decaf or an incredibly smelly bag of award- winning weed.

2. This guy that works at a head shop once told me they have a forward- thinking, liberal government that actually works.

3. In bars and taverns throughout the Netherlands you can get something to drink and the finest pot, just like in the coffee shops!

Game, set, and match. But how about the music scene? We know the Dead swung through town a couple of times in the '70s, and I would guess that the Cannabis Cup draws a few sympathetic bands every year. But upon trying to recall any major successes from the area, you'll be forced to conclude that the Netherlands' primary cultural export is sold mail order via the High Times classifieds.

No longer. Now we have Solex, a one- man band from Amsterdam that's actually one woman named Elisabeth Esselink. She plays assorted keyboards and sings, but her real talent lies in the creative use of the sampler. Elisabeth owns a record store in her hometown, and she puts those lovely slabs of vinyl to good use here, building songs from bits of other music that sound fresh and different. It's not completely new-- the vaguely kitchy European groove feels familiar-- but what sets Solex apart is both the logical way she blends the disparate parts and her invigorating sense of humor.

Her wit takes a musical form on "Solex All Licketysplit," where she weds a furiously funky breakbeat to a chorus boosted from the theme song of some third- rate 1960s Scandinavian sitcom. Other songs contain dada-esque lyrical couplets to undercut the darkly serious tone common to most trip- hop ("Solex's Snag," while sonically reminiscent of brooding Portishead, is about a nasty run in a new pair of tights. All songs have Solex in the title, by the way; as someone owns her own business, Esselink knows a good marketing gimmick when she sees it.) And while both the songwriting and Solex's voice can be a touch bland at points, the richness of the sonic tapestry more than compensates. The line? Solex over The Hitmeister by three. Can't miss.

-Mark Richard-San