The Consumption

Forty years ago, you needed a top-of-the-line recording studio, a brigade of session players and a few healthy doses of LSD to make a psychedelic opus. These days, you just need a laptop. And maybe some LSD. First there was Caribou’s 2007 masterpiece Andorra. Now, there’s Clue to Kalo’s Lily Perdida, a similarly lush slab of Zombies-style psych-pop, coincidentally created by another electronic artist-cum-bandleader.

Clue to Kalo’s Mark Mitchell clearly planned Lily Perdida meticulously. Each song examines the fictional title character from the perspective of someone who knew her, although the lyrics are roundabout enough that it’s difficult to piece together much of the story. Fortunately, the music behind the concept is universally strong. “It’s Here the Story’s Straight by the Peers” is an obvious standout, an instantly accessible blend of boy-girl vocals and bouncing instrumentation, and the Nuggets-style keyboard that opens “The Infinite Orphan by the Familiars” is darn near irresistible, but there’s not a weak track in the bunch. Welcome to the era of the bedroom genius.