DUNCAN SHEIK White Limousine

Mid-’90s pop star Duncan Sheik is back, but this crooner isn’t the same singer who left us “Barely Breathing” a decade ago. Sheik’s new album, White Limousine, illuminates his flair for music in a philosophical and unconventional way.

Lyrically, Sheik’s words express distress toward the apathetic nature of our culture. Sheik tactfully pokes fun at our views of media while still making a point. His sound is mellow and soothing, which allows for an un-insulting political and philosophical message to listeners, which is a quality that’s hard to come by nowadays.

However, Sheik’s songs are so bound to the same formula that one is barely distinguishable from the next. But the album comes with two discs: “Mine” is Sheik’s version of the song, while the other disc, entitled “Yours,” is an interactive DVD-ROM that enables listeners to mix their own versions.

Nevertheless, Sheik’s quest to show the imbalance between our shoddy focus on the entertainment world and our utter indifference to political realities is most striking on White Limousine.

— Lisa Hiton, Muse Contributing Writer