Heavily reminiscent of Ry Cooder's Paris, Texas soundtrack, this latest release from World Standard gives Middle American folk music a subtle nudge toward the wonderful world of electronic music. Country Gazette, the long-time project of Sohichiro Suzuki (it began life back in 1983), kicks off with a short, happy banjo riff accompanied by various electronically produced sounds. But by the second track, acoustics are nowhere to be heard. Track 3 and they're back again, but this time the blend is seamless and continues that way for the duration. Production credits go to Haruomi Hosono (Yellow Magic Orchestra), who has managed to meld guitars and banjos fluently with high electronics, thereby creating a musical hybrid that may very well be truly unique. --Paul Clark