Cale Parks -- Illuminated Manuscript

For a guy who started as a drummer, this "solo" album has little drumming. We'll forgive Cale Parks because he's grown so broadly as a musician and also because, well, who wants to hear a bunch of drum solos? Best known as sideman and soundsmith for the experimental Indie Pop wizards Aloha, Parks is endlessly being "borrowed" by other artists due to his uncanny ability to add just the right part to set the mood of song. He deals in keys, vibes and various other instruments, but the songs on Illuminated Manuscript hint that he clearly has retained the mind of a drummer, using these instruments to fill the songs with percussive interjections and subtle polyrhythms while using the drumkit sparingly. Conceived primarily during the sessions for Aloha's phenomenal 2005 release Some Echoes, this project captures the same airy vibe but is more playful. For instance, "Galaxy 8180" has a canned beat from some old organ as its foundation and "Me at Home" subtly borrows the tones from Close Encounters. The fun Parks is having is infectious. (Ezra Waller) Grade: B