Tarwater is Bernd Jestram (guitar, bass) and Ronald Lippok (drums, vocals). On their fifth full-length, the German duo combines programming with more traditional pop elements to enchanting effect, like a space-age Sea and Cake or a stripped-down Beta Band. The Needle is Traveling, their Morr Music debut, includes only four instrumentals, "Stone," "Entry," "All That," and the violin and cello-bedecked "Yeah!," unlike past recordings where vocals were less prominent. And although Lippok (To Rococo Rot), who sings in English, can be rather monochromatic, the adventurousness of the music helps to minimize that shortcoming. Highlights include "The People," with its snaky guitar line, hypnotic rhythm, and children"s chorus (somewhat akin to Pink Floyd"s "Another Brick in the Wall," but less strident), and a dreamy cover of Israeli band Minimal Compact"s "Babylonian Tower," embellished with trombone, ghostly backing vocals, and otherworldly sound effects. --Kathleen C. Fennessy