Broken Rope is the second full length by core Merchandiser David Vassalotti, being released this week on Wharf Cat Records. As only a handful of tracks from this record have been released in advance and each one has had a sound distinct from the others, it is hard to call this a review as much as a plug. Broken Rope expands on the eclecticism of Vassalotti’s first lp, Book Of Ghosts. “Ines de Castro” is a dreamy guitar and drum machine track that flirts with a new wave sound. “Zahir,” on the other hands, is a drone-y psych rock tune about the Middle East. “Lady Day Redux” blends a 70s rock sound with 90s indie rock. Every track is a new direction to explore, and that is one of the album’s principal charms. Songs are intelligent and well crafted, but more immediately they are small worlds to delve into. Each of the 10 songs is the germ of an entire album. Each song is something to get lost in, in its own right. Within the Wharf Cat Records catalogue, Broken Rope is closest to Jeff Zagers’ Still/Alive, substituting its experimental pop sensibilities for intimately lo-fi art rock. Now if only Berlin would get released…