Orenda Fink

There's nothing wrong with a little pseudo-sisterly rivalry. Not that Orenda Fink and her Azure Ray comrade, Maria Taylor, were necessarily competing by debuting solo albums within months of each other this year. Nonetheless, it's impossible to avoid comparing the two. But even if this werea cutthroat showdown, Fink would have nothing to worry about: Her disc, Invisible Ones, is a far more substantive and arresting affair. As abstractly skeletal as Fleetwood Mac's Tusk and Kate Bush's The Dreaming, its songs were inspired by Fink's recent travels through India, Cambodia and Haiti, and they drone with a spare, haunting spirituality. Although Invisibleboasts appearances by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and Fink's husband, Todd Beachle of the Faint, her touring band comprises members of such luminaries as Bright Eyes, the Anniversary and tourmate Neva Dinova. The future of Azure may be up in the air, but with Fink crafting such deep and devastating sounds, there's no need to rush the reunion.