benoit & sergio dont make dance tracks—they tell stories. in the washington dc duos music, a sense of place and narrative infuse their rhythms and melodies, transcending having flexed their synth-pop muscles on releases for dfa (the acclaimed boy trouble ep) and visionquest (the lovelorn where the freaks have no name ep), dc duo benoit & sergio return to spectral sound for a victory lap around the dancefloor. and >let me count the ways< is just that, sounding every bit the perfect, hands-in-the-air final anthem of the evening. tireless hi-hats push the beat onward and dreamy synthesized strings saturate the stereo space as sergio intones, >let me count the ways / the ways that ive loved.< as the line repeats, its meaning bends to fit the songs tone of endless, time-suspended romance: its not the loves that matter in the end, but the ways. its not the destination, but the journey. the b-sides >let me count the ways (autumn version)<is a vastly different take on the original?s maximalist swell. stripping the beat back to its bare essentials and building them up again over nearly 12 minutes, the >autumn version< recalls arthur russell?s more minimal moments down to its wobbly bass filigree and mumbled vocal samples. by the end of the track, the claps are falling on the twos and fours like crinkly foliage, synths are sizzling like firewood, and benoit & sergio?s newest banger is revealed in its full glory once again.