Fifteen years after the Hüskers' noise grail Metal Circus, most (maybeall)
                                          variations on the Whitey Guitar Squall theme seem entirely played out.But
                                          ambient-noisists Ousia don't play guitars; they twaddle with knobs. Andtheir
                                          scatterbrained electronic drones weld blankets of barely audible breakbeats
                                          to song structures that are as mutable as chance. Their debut, Why Is Thata
                                          Four?, may be the quietest, most elusive noise candy of the year, but atthis
                                          late date in the history of blurt, quiet, elusive noise might be the bestnoise
                                          going.

                                          The Twin Cities clubscape typically grows when old-guard drinking holes
                                          such as Mayslacks or the Terminal Bar either build stages in the corneror
                                          elevate the hipness quotient of their band bookings. The new music space
                                          with the best environmental control, though, would be the Twilight Lounge,
                                          the remodeled back room of the Jitters Cafe in downtown Minneapolis. The
                                          aptly named Twilight is like a ballroom crossed with a bedroom, with plush
                                          circular booths, glittery decoration, and a floor that serves as the stage.It's
                                          classy and comfortable enough to doze off in while listening to blissfulsets by
                                          the DJs and trance/rocktronica bands (Ousia,Skyeclad, and Metaphor) that
                                          often perform there on weekends in a low-key showcase called the New
                                          Atlantis. Cross over to Jitters' acoustic stage up front if you need achange of
                                          pace. But get it while you can: Rumors continue to surface that the block
                                          containing both Jitters and the Times Bar and Cafe could be slated for
                                          demolition to make way for the new Target tower.