Winning a best-song Oscar–for “Al Otra Lado del Rio,” from The Motorcycle Diaries, in 2005–doesn’t seem to have convinced this Uruguayan pop singer and songwriter that he ought to start playing to a bigger crowd. The terrific new 12 Segundos de Oscuridad (Warner Latina) retains all the hooky intimacy of its predecessors: Drexler’s sweet voice rarely rises above a conversational volume, as if he’s relating his tales of failed love and fervent desire from across a kitchen table. This wonderfully personal feel pervades the arrangements, which are packed with rich details–a tactile synthesizer sniggle, an underwater electronic beat–and the instrumental sections sustain the vocals’ flow with gorgeous countermelodies. Among the originals is “Disneylandia,” a biting take on globalization by Brazil’s Arnaldo Antunes; elsewhere another Brazilian, Maria Rita (who covered a Drexler tune on her last album), appears for a duet. Besides a version of Radiohead’s “High and Dry,” the whole album is sung in Spanish; it’d be a shame if this kept Drexler from transcending his movie-trivia status in the States. a 8:30 PM, HotHouse, 31 E. Balbo, 312-362-9707, $25.
