NEW MUSIC

Cameron Carpenter

Revolutionary (Telarc Records)
***1/2

When it comes to effective keyboard talent it should be difficult to discern whether the player's fingers are choosing the keys, or if by some magical telepathy the keys are choosing the fingers. Such is the case with Cameron Carpenter, who resembles more a member of a pre-packaged boy band than he does a classical keyboardist. While his hands are manipulating the keyboard his feet tap dance across the foot pedals, resulting in a full solo orchestration that is complete and extraordinary. Whether he is reworking the classics, among them Chopin's “The Revolutionary” and Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, or pouring his soul into the classic-tinged original “Love Song No.1,” his passion for creating sounds of his own is exemplary. Talent like Cameron Carpenter's doesn't come along everyday, and it sincerely isn't as chart worthy as it should be, but thank goodness for Revolutionary, an album that takes the pipe organ out of the choir loft and puts it center stage where it belongs. —BOB WERNER

The Donkeys

Living on the Other Side (Dead Oceans)
***1/2

This San Diego foursome works the laidback end of indie, though instead of sad sacks like Galaxie 500 or Low they sound a lot like the decidedly nonindie Grateful Dead. That'd suck if it wasn't the Dead of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty that they resemble. Yet where the Haight-Ashbury hippies cultivated an insular vibe, these boys turn a generous eye outwards. With a melodic sense not often approached in indie-land, and a nice sense of humor (check out the details of the demimonde in “Nice Train”), they're a vulgar hook away from an alt-rock smash. —DAN LOUGHRY

Jenny Lewis

Acid Tongue (Warner Bros.)
**1/2

Jenny Lewis is that smart, charismatic woman with a talent for spot-on lyrical wordplay that makes many out there wish she was in their band. The title of her second solo album is a wink and nod to what she's become famous for: emotional honesty. The problem is, that honesty needs to be married to arresting music, and chunks of the album suffer from its absence—such as the meandering, bloated “The Next Messiah” and the overly pouty “Badman's World.” Luckily, when she marries white-girl soul to her folky leanings on the title track, “Tryin' My Best,” and on “Sing a Song,” it reminds us that Lewis at her most concise and clear is a thing of beauty, indeed. —MIKEL WADEWITZ

Monkey

Journey to the West (XL)
**1/2

Damon Albarn—of Blur and Gorillaz—is accused of dilettantism (usually by that idiot in Oasis). Yet being a dabbler doesn't mean he's not talented. This Chinese opera—written in collaboration with Jamie Hewlett—isn't as much fun as Blur or Gorillaz, though its quirks are fascinating. Musical structures are Western appropriations of Asian modalities. The lyrics are in Mandarin (and probably simple—many phonetically similar phrases are repeated). Its strange dissonances and motifs are pleasing to the ear like certain types of white noise, but I can't imagine listening to it much (until after seeing the visually spectacular opera). —D.L.

CONCERT CALENDAR

Antony and the Johnsons

Conducted by James Holmes and arrange by Antony and Nico Muhly
Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tues., Oct. 14. 8 p.m. $30-58. ticketmaster.com

Pat Benatar

The “Heartbreaker” herself rounds out a summer tour that began in Palm Springs with Dinah Shore Weekend. Canyon Club. Fri., Oct. 10. 9 p.m. $58.50. ticketmaster.com

k.d. lang

Take a short, weekend jaunt up the 101 to see the Canadian, country crooner deliver tunes from Watershed among her other albums. Arlington Theatre. Sat., Oct. 11. 8 p.m. $34-58. ticketmaster.com

Sara Bareilles

The California native performs songs from her debut album Little Voice including the chart-topping “Love Song.” The Wiltern. Sat., Oct. 11. 9 p.m. $25. ticketmaster.com

Homo Must

NKOTB

Oh, oh, ooooh oh ooh—the right stuff! Come on, you know you sang it. Hang tough with Jordan, Jonathan, Joey, Donnie, and Danny—the boys that started the boy band craze as they reunite to tour their newest album in almost 15 years, The Block. STAPLES Center. Wed., Oct. 8. 8 p.m. $37.50-77.50. ticketmaster.com