This sophomore release from the poppy husband-wife project of ever-prolific Black Francis and Violet Clark got right on top of me. Presented throughout by Phoenix DJ Jonathan L, Let the People Speak is a strange trip though familiar territory for fans of Francis to completely left-field expeditions into Party Town. While Francis’ classic guitar riffs abound, arrangements run the gamut from slow-burners to full on ragers, complete with plenty of synths, dance-beats, weird sound effects, and spacey vocals. Stand out tracks for this listener include the weirdo-dance-rocker “White Out,” glammy space party “Silver Boys,” and the rocking “Shady,” though really the whole disc is one non-stop event. Definitely worth checking out, whether or not you’re a fan Black Francis or not. (Sonic Unyon, sonicunyon.com) Sheldon Birnie