"Welcome to the world of the OPTIGAN!...In the early 70's, Mattel devised this OPTIcal orGAN to play back the sounds of REAL instruments, encoded on celluloid discs like concentric rings of movie soundtrack. The result was pretty crappy sounding and soon forgotten by the world at large, but if this sounds to you like perfect fodder for an obsessive, almost fetishistic website, then you're absolutely correct!" --www.optigan.com

Such is also the basis for an obsessive, almost fetishistic band. Optiganally Yours is the duo of Rob Crow, guitarist and singer of prolific esteem (his projects include Thingy, Heavy Vegetable, Physics, and a quirky solo record); and Pea Hix, keeper of the almighty and archaic Optigan. Their basic schtick follows this guideline: Crow sings and plays the guitar, and Hix plays the Optigan, which contains the looped stylings of "Anonymous Early 1970s Session Musicians." On this, their second record, Hix utilizes the Optigan's "cousins," the Chilton Talentmaker and the Vako Orchestron; they're basically the same thing.

Out of context of this band's output thus far, the Optigan would sound "pretty crappy" by a fairly general consensus. The music from this thing sounds like cheesy '70s easy listening played by guys in fluorescent leisure suits on an Edison wax cylinder. "But wait!" you cry. "You've given this record a very generous and complimentary rating, yet you seem to be trashing it from the start!" Not so! Allow me to explain.

Crow and Hix are excellent songwriters. Crow is a fine guitarist, applying his versatile skills with flair throughout the body of the record. And it doesn't hurt that he's a great singer with a knack for excellent harmonizing, either. Meanwhile, Hix is an excellent match for Crow. He lays down impeccable backing chord progressions and crafts intermingling lead organ lines designed to match Crow's guitar beautifully. With these traits, a schtick like Optiganally Yours could easily bog them down. Instead, it acts as an enhancement, providing an original and fascinating aspect for the already charming songs.

The Optigan has many choices of loops for percussion, bass, organ, piano, even guitar, which is sometimes paired with Crow's real guitar parts. But the endless selection doesn't boggle the masterful Pea Hix; he knows which sounds to use, and when and how to use them. The result is often surprisingly somber, quirky, jilting, beautiful, even funny, but in all cases, perfectly appropriate for the mood intended. The absolutely exquisite opening track, "Oar," is a fine example: it's a morose cry for help from a drowning man, accompanied by pulsing, shuffling percussion, lilting guitar and the plaintive, looped sound of ocean waves and seagulls.

Do any of their idiosyncrasies ever detract from the album as a whole? Sure, on occasion. But the eccentricities are essential, and forgivable on the basis of creativity, and what they bring to the music. So, for music geeks hellbent on finding a new dinosaur to fall in love with-- the kind who went to www.optigan.com before this review even started-- Optiganally Yours are here for you. And fans of sometimes moody, sometimes offbeat, sometimes immaculate pop music: they're here for you, too. By the first 30 seconds, you'll forget that you even read the words "pretty crappy sounding" and become absorbed in their unique, enthralling sound.

-Spencer Owen