Psycho Tropical Ballet Pink

Swahili Blonde's already somewhat tortured membership history is perhaps what happens when a collective works and records without concentrating on a particular focused identity — then again, anything involving John Frusciante in some sort of capacity, however on and off, may well be an example of how maintaining a straight-through approach isn't always going to be for everyone. On its short second album, the group explores its own particular way around a sort of lovers-rock-meets-art-pop-meets-exotica that feels like it should be something from 1981 as much as 2011 somewhere in the world, whether France, N.Y.C., or Brazil, distinct American accent in the singing aside (courtesy of founding member Nicole Turley). The most spectacular number, in the vein of their previous David Bowie remake, may be their cover of a-ha's "Scoundrel Days," the tenseness of the original arrangement given a gentle sonic glaze like it's in a tropical-themed bar. Guitar stands in for keyboards when it comes to setting the initial quick, nervous pace, with the arrangement not exploding onto the chorus but sliding into it with voice and guitar. It becomes more boisterous as it goes, drums buried and a bit of violin suggesting the original. If the cover is so remarkable and enjoyable that it takes a bit of pride of place, the originals have their virtues in turn, as with the busy chorus on "Purple Ink," with its start-stop drums and guitar lines slipping downward among the tambourine hits. The involved arrangement of "Zelda Has It" is another intriguing, "everything but the kitchen sink" number, while the concluding "The Golden Corale" also stands out.