A lot of musicians are capable of writing a great tune, but not everyone has what it takes to create a distinct arrangement. The kind of arrangement that defies our expectations. The kind that uses cleverness and novelty but also emphasizes mood and highlights elements from the singer. Each of the selections in this week's column feature intelligent, carefully considered arrangements that take full advantage of modern studio technology.

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St. Vincent "Now Now" (Beggars Banquet)

Up until releasing her debut album under the name St. Vincent, Annie Clarke had spent the majority of her career in music as a multi-instrumentalist in two of the most sprawling, symphonic bands in indie rock - the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens' touring ensemble. Her own music has a touch of her prior collaborators taste for elaborate arrangements, but she dials back their penchant for bombast considerably, resulting in crisp pop songs that are nearly as complex and beautiful as that of Kate Bush. "Now Now," the opening track from her debut album "Marry Me," sets Clarke's pretty, elegant voice against an arrangement that contrasts layers of smooth tones with a lurching yet mildly funky beat and odd bits of sound, such as the incongruous, unhinged guitar solo at the conclusion of the track.

Right click to download here: http://tinyurl.com/2pddk5

Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/2ufenq

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Aesop Rock "None Shall Pass" (Definitive Jux)

Due to his penchant for dense, verbose rhymes, many of Aesop Rock's songs can seem a bit too thick and heavy, but the title track from the indie rapper's fifth album sidesteps that trap with a loose, atmospheric arrangement and a deceptively fast beat. His relentless, robotic rhyming drives the piece, but its soul comes in the form of an ethereal, pitch-shifting vocal sample that distorts the source material into an abstraction of overwhelming joy. The contrast between Aesop Rock's chilly, aloof delivery and the passionate sample is stark, but the disparity in feeling suggests a range of muted (and mutated) emotions between the two extremes.

Right click to download here: http://tinyurl.com/2kwh7x

Buy it here: http://store.definitivejux.net/store/jukiebox_djx144.html

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International Pony "Gravity" (Mule Electronic)

International Pony's eclectic new album "Mit Dir Sind Wir Vier" shifts between intense dance workouts, silly novelty pop songs, sleek downbeat electronica, minimal techno, and in the case of this cut, moody-yet-relaxed balladry. The German DJ collective's "Gravity" is airy and gorgeous, with an arrangement that slowly shifts through several textures without calling unnecessary attention to its wide variety of instrumentation. Thankfully it does not overplay the stunning moments when the lead vocal transforms into an inhuman-yet-beautiful electronic tone.

Right click to download here: http://tinyurl.com/3yfg47

Buy it here: http://www.internationalpony.com/

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Matthew Perpetua is the maestro behind http://www.fluxblog.org.