Hyper-conceptualized (at least on its mascara-streaked face) electro-goth combo I Am Spoonbender’s long-awaited return outdoes even their 1999 three-sided LP Teletwin. Advertised as a subliminal advertisement for itself (also available for free download), Buy Hidden Persuaders, released here as a gatefold CD, is a paranoid commentary on losing oneself in ad saturation. The music tends toward a vocal-heavy, noise-shattered shade of IAS’ early “new new wave” synth-pop. In her finest half-there dramatics Robynn “Cup” Iwata sings, “We all need mirrors to know who we are now” after a layered noise break, which may or not be part of IAS’ own ad campaign… Of course, we’ll never know, and that’s the punchline to this San Francisco group’s recurring in-joke. But the real joke remains: Can IAS really “sell” listeners a free album?