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Hi everyone,

Here's what we have on tap this week:

Tonight on the Inside Track we'll hear the infectious synth-punk of Ibibio Sound Machine's Uyai, brought to us via Durham's very own Merge Records. With roots in both England and Nigeria, the group's instrumental pallet includes both West African talking drums and hella 80's synthesizers that wouldn't sound out of place on a Gary Numan record. No two songs sound alike on this record and each contributes to the really funky noise this album generates.

Monday's Outside Track is the latest composition from Lawrence English, an intense and glacial drone called Cruel Optimism. It draws it's title from a 2011 book by Lauren Berlant and describes a state where "when something you desire is actually an obstacle to your flourishing," specifically success within a liberal-capitalist economic system. High-brow critical theory aside, this is an album full of swirling, dynamic drones that build and collapse, drawing out tension throughout the length of the album. Each track flows into the next, and builds into a compelling and engrossing suite.